Le Plus-que-parfait — Le Passé du Passé
Form the pluperfect with the imparfait of avoir/être plus a past participle. Use it for actions already completed before another past reference point, in si-clauses (Type 3), and in reported speech backshift.
A lesson of French B1 — Intermediate, in Les Temps du Récit, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will form the plus-que-parfait and use it to describe actions completed before another past moment.
What Is the Plus-que-parfait?
The plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) expresses a past action that was already completed before another past action. If the passé composé is "yesterday," the plus-que-parfait is "the day before yesterday" — one step further back in time.
English equivalent: had + past participle
Quand elle est arrivée, nous avions déjà dîné. When she arrived, we had already eaten dinner.
Il ne savait pas qu'elle était partie. He didn't know she had left.
Formation
The plus-que-parfait uses the imparfait of the auxiliary (avoir or être) plus the past participle.
Auxiliary in imparfait + past participle
With avoir
| Person | Auxiliary (imparfait) | Past participle | Full form |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | avais | parlé | j'avais parlé |
| tu | avais | fini | tu avais fini |
| il/elle | avait | pris | il avait pris |
| nous | avions | mangé | nous avions mangé |
| vous | aviez | vu | vous aviez vu |
| ils/elles | avaient | dit | ils avaient dit |
With être (movement/state verbs + all reflexives)
Agreement rules apply — the past participle agrees with the subject.
| Person | Example | Agreement |
|---|