Lesson 18 Flashcards
This deck introduces the past conditional, the pluperfect (or "plus-que-parfait"), and the future perfect (or "futur antérieur").
What is the pluperfect (or past perfect) and when is it used?
The pluperfect is called the plus-que-parfait in French. It is a compound past tense used to describe past actions that took place prior to other past actions that are either mentioned or implied from context. (e.g. “I had already told him.”)
How do you conjugate the pluperfect?
The plus-que-parfait is formed by pairing the imperfect tense of avoir or être with the appropriate past participle. For instance, the je form of parler in the pluperfect is j’avais parlé – “I had spoken.”
Translate to French:
I had already told her not to open the door
Je lui avais déjà dit de ne pas ouvrir la porte
Note the first-person singular pluperfect form of dire. Also note the placement of déjà in between the auxiliary verb and the participle.
Translate to French:
Marie had already left when you called her
Marie était déjà partie quand tu l’as appelée
Note the use of both the pluperfect and the passé composé. The pluperfect verb describes an action that took place before the action of the passé composé verb.
Translate to French:
They hadn’t had their coffee yet when I got to work
Ils n’avaient pas encore pris leur café quand je suis arrivé au travail
Here, the pluperfect is used together with the passé composé to describe past actions that took place at different times.
Translate to French:
Sophia wanted to see you but she had forgotten where you were
Sophia voulait te voir mais elle avait oublié où tu étais
Here, the pluperfect is used along with the imperfect tense.
Translate to French:
They hadn’t yet done their homework when Jean came home
Ils n’avaient pas encore fait leurs devoirs quand Jean est rentré
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We hadn’t finished yet when our boss arrived
Nous n’avions pas encore fini quand notre patron est arrivé
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He had hardly begun running when he fell
Il n’avait guère commencé à courir quand il est tombé
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(formal) He had just arrived when you phoned him
Il venait d’arriver quand vous lui avez téléphoné
Recall that in the past, the construction venir de + infinitive is conjugated in the imperfect. In other words, for the immediate past, the imperfect (plus an infinitive) is used even though in English the pluperfect is used (“had arrived”).
What is the past conditional and when is it used?
The past conditional is used to describe what would have taken place if circumstances had been different in the past. (e.g. “I would have left.”) In other words, it is used to describe hypothetical scenarios in the past. It is often used with the plus-que-parfait and with si clauses.
How do you conjugate the past conditional?
The past conditional is formed by using the present conditional of avoir or être with the proper past participle. For example, the first-person singular form of parler in the past conditional is j’aurais parlé – “I would have talked.”
Translate to French:
In that case, I would have left
Dans ce cas-là, je serais parti
Note the je form of the past conditional of partir.
Translate to French:
Paul would have gone shopping, but he didn’t have any money
Paul aurait fait les courses, mais il n’avait pas d’argent
Note how the past circumstances here are laid out in the imperfect tense.
Translate to French:
(female speaker) In your position, I would have washed myself
À ta place, je me serais lavée
Note how the participle agrees with the feminine subject, since the reflexive verb takes être as its auxiliary verb.
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I couldn’t have seen it without my glasses
Je n’aurais pas pu le voir sans mes lunettes
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Would you guys have done the same thing for me?
Auriez-vous fait la même chose pour moi?
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Claire would not have gone to the party without her parents
Claire ne serait pas allée à la fête sans ses parents
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We would have liked to go (there)
Nous aurions aimé y aller
Translate to French:
Pierre and Marcel should have come
Pierre et Marcel auraient dû venir
Recall that in the conditional, the verb devoir denotes obligation or necessity. It means “should” rather than “would.”
Translate to French:
Do you think we shouldn’t have left?
Penses-tu que nous n’aurions pas dû partir?
Translate to French:
If it had not snowed, I would have walked to work
S’il n’avait pas neigé, j’aurais marché pour aller au travail
Note how the past conditional is used with a si clause in the pluperfect tense. The result clause is in the past conditional.
Translate to French:
They would have left France if their plane had been on time
Ils auraient quitté la France si leur vol avait été à l’heure
The past conditional clause describes what would have happened/been possible, while the pluperfect si clause describes what would have had to happen (first).
Translate to French:
Marie would not have gone to the park if she had known that it would rain
Marie ne serait pas allée au parc si elle avait su qu’il pleuvrait
Here, the pluperfect si clause describes a past hypothetical condition that is contrary to fact/what actually happened. In other words, it describes an unmet condition.
Translate to French:
Had he known that this freeway was so dangerous, Jean would have driven more slowly
S’il avait su que cette autoroute était si dangereuse, Jean aurait conduit plus lentement
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You wouldn’t have found your shoes if I hadn’t helped you look for them
Tu n’aurais pas trouvé tes chaussures si je ne t’avais pas aidé à les chercher
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They wouldn’t have done anything if I hadn’t said something
Ils n’auraient rien fait si je n’avais pas dit quelque chose
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If you had asked me the question, I would have responded
Si tu m’avais posé la question, j’aurais répondu
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He wouldn’t have met his girlfriend if they hadn’t introduced him to her
Il n’aurait pas fait la connaissance de sa copine s’ils ne la lui avaient pas presentée
Recall the correct order of pronoun placement. Also note the agreement of the participle with the preceding direct object pronoun.
Translate to French:
We would have played basketball if it had been nice out
Nous aurions joué au basket s’il avait fait beau
Translate to French:
I was playing whereas I should have been studying
Je jouais lorsque j’aurais dû étudier
Lorsque is used here to denote contrast or opposition. Used like this, it is similar to tandis que or alors que. Also note the past conditional of devoir + an infinitive, which indicates something that should have happened.
Translate to French:
I played sports whereas/when I should have studied
J’ai fait du sport alors qu’il aurait fallu étudier
Note the past conditional of the impersonal verb falloir. In this case, il aurait fallu takes on the meaning “should have.” More literally, it means “it was necessary that.” You could also use the phrase j’aurais dû étudier.
What is the future perfect and when is it used?
The future perfect (or futur antérieur) is a compound tense. It is used to describe future actions that will be completed before other future actions. In other words, it expresses things that will have happened by sometime in the future. (e.g. “I will have finished.”)
How do you conjugate the future perfect?
Take the future tense of avoir or être, then take the past participle of the given verb. For instance, the je form of parler in the future perfect is j’aurai parlé – “I will have talked.”
Translate to French:
After tonight, I will have finished all of my work
Après ce soir, j’aurai fini tout mon travail
Note the first-person singular form of finir in the futur antérieur.
Translate to French:
You guys will have left in two weeks
Vous serez partis dans deux semaines
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Tomorrow at this time, we will have eaten everything
Demain à cette heure, nous aurons tout mangé
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Claude will have shaved before going out
Claude se sera rasé avant de sortir
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Marie will have travelled to ten countries at/by the end of this year
Marie aura voyagé dans dix pays à la fin de cette année
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He will have already cleaned the kitchen when his parents return home
Il aura déjà nettoyé la cuisine quand ses parents rentreront à la maison
Recall that conjunctions like quand often take the simple future tense even when the present tense is used in English. Quand followed by a verb in the present tense generally denotes habitual actions or circumstances.
Translate to French:
You will have already left when I arrive
Tu seras déjà parti quand j’arriverai
Translate to French:
We will start singing when she arrives/has arrived
On commencera à chanter quand elle sera arrivée
When the main verb in a sentence is in the simple future tense, dependent clauses starting with quand require the futur antérieur. This is also true for conjunctions like lorsque, après que, dès que, and aussitôt que.
Translate to French:
After the girls leave/have left, we will watch the rest of the movie
Après que les filles seront parties, nous regarderons le reste du film
Following the conjunction après que, the future perfect is used to describe an action that will occur prior to the main action, which is in the future tense. In English, the present or present perfect are used instead of the future perfect.
Translate to French:
We will be able to help you as soon as Julie and Marie arrive/have arrived
Nous pourrons t’aider dès que Julie et Marie seront arrivées
Translate to French:
When he finishes/has finished his homework, he will play tennis
Lorsqu’il aura fini ses devoirs, il jouera au tennis
Another possible translation is Une fois qu’il aura fini ses devoirs, il jouera au tennis, which translates most accurately as “Once he finishes/has finished…”
Translate to French:
You look weak. You must be sick
Tu as l’air faible. Tu seras malade
In spoken French, both the future and the future perfect can be used to denote supposition or probability.
Translate to French:
She isn’t here. She must have left
Elle n’est pas ici. Elle sera partie
Here, the future perfect is used to convey supposition or probability.
