Indicatif: Plus-que-parfait Flashcards
What English verb tense does the plus-que-parfait translate to?
Past perfect
Use plus-que-parfait to distinguish between two events that happened in the past:
- Le soleil avait déjà commencé à se coucher quand je suis arrivé.
PQP is used for the event that happened first (farther in the past)
The sun had already started to set when I arrived. (se coucher)
What verb tenses are used for the second/more recent event after plus-que-parfait?
Passé composé or imparfait, depending on the context.
Is the plus-que-parfait used when there is no relationship between the two events that occurred?
No. It is only used when the two events are understood to be connected in some way.
e.g. J’ai fini tout le travail et puis je suis parti. (I finished all the work, then I left)
What are the parts of the plus-que-parfait verb tense?
l’imparfait form of avoir/être + le participe passé of the main verb
J’avais bâillé bruyamment plusieurs fois avant que le caissier ne me remarque.
I had yawned loudly several times before the teller noticed me. (bâiller)
bâiller: to yawn; to gape
Tu avais déjà fêté l’annonce au moment où je suis arrivé.
You (in.) had already celebrated the announcement by the time I arrived. (fêter)
fêter: to celebrate
Vendre sa dernière antiquité lui avait coûté cher.
Selling his last antique had cost him dearly. (coûter)
coûter: to cost; to be hard for somebody
Nous avions rigolé trop fort et la bibliothécaire nous a lancé un regard noir.
We had laughed too loudly, and the librarian gave us a look. (rigoler)
rigoler: to laugh; to have fun; to be joking/kidding
Vous aviez rencontré mon cousin dans un bar à Paris et vous l’aviez tout de suite apprécié.
You (pl.) had met my cousin at a bar in Paris and you instantly liked him. (rencontrer)
rencontrer: to meet; to come across
Ils étaient rentrés chez eux juste avant que la tempête ne frappe.
They had gotten home just before the storm hit. (rentrer)
rentrer: to come in; to go in; to get home; to put away; to go back in
J’avais maigri quand il m’a revu à l’événement.
maigrir: to lose weight
I had lost weight when he saw me at the event. (maigrir)
Tu avais trop agrandi l’image, donc je ne pouvais pas dire ce que c’était.
You (in.) had enlarged the image too much, so I couldn’t tell what it was. (agrandir)
agrandir: to enlarge; to extend; to magnify; to make bigger
Il avait converti le type de fichier, mais cela ne fonctionnait toujours pas.
He had converted the file type, but it still wasn’t working. (convertir)
convertir: to convert
Nous avions établi l’entreprise en Espagne deux ans avant de l’étendre à l’Amérique du Sud.
We had established the business in Spain two years before we expanded it to South America. (établir)
établir: to establish
Vous aviez rafraîchi la pièce avec une nouvelle couche de peinture la veille du jour où les acheteurs venaient visiter la maison.
You (pl.) had refreshed the room with a new coat of paint the day before the buyers came to look at the house. (rafraîchir)
rafraîchir: to cool down; to refresh; to brighten up
Ils avaient trop rétréci la taille de la robe, et la cliente n’était pas contente.
They had taken in the waist of the dress too much, and the customer was not pleased. (rétrécir)
rétrécir: to shrink; to take in (in sewing)
J’étais descendu au troisième étage quand je me suis rappelé que je ne travaillais plus dans cet immeuble.
I had gotten off at the third floor when I remembered that I don’t work in this building anymore. (descendre)
descendre: to go down; come down; get down; get off; lower; take down
Tu avais rompu avec lui la veille et le lendemain nous sommes allés manger une glace.
You (in.) had broken up with him the night before and the next day we went for ice cream. (rompre)
rompre: to split up; to break off; to break; to break up
Il avait suspendu le cadre dans le salon mais s’est rendu compte qu’il serait plus joli dans la salle de bain.
He had hung the frame in the living room but realized it would look better in the bathroom. (suspendre)
suspendre: to hang up; to hang; to suspend
Nous avions résolu le mystère avant que la police n’arrive sur les lieux.
We had solved the mystery before the police arrived on the scene. (résoudre)
résoudre: to solve; to decide
Vous aviez joint ces pièces avant de déconnecter les fils.
You had joined these pieces together before you disconnected the wires. (joindre)
joindre: to put together; to contact; to enclose; to attach; to get hold of; to fit properly
Ils l’avaient élu sur la base de ses promesses, mais il n’en a tenu aucune.
They had elected him based on his promises, but he didn’t fulfill any of them. (élire)
élire: to elect
