Pluperfect - French

The plus-que-parfait in French indicates an action that was completed before another past action or time. It's like saying in English "I had done..."

Using "avoir" as an Auxiliary Verb

When conjugating most verbs in the plus-que-parfait, you'll use avoir as the auxiliary verb, followed by the participe passé (past participle) of the main verb.

Here are the conjugations for the auxiliary verb avoir:

Example with manger (to eat):

• J'avais mangé avant de partir (I had eaten before leaving).
• Nous avions fini le travail avant midi (We had finished the work before noon).

Using "être" as an Auxiliary Verb

Some verbs, particularly those indicating movement or change of state, are conjugated with être as the auxiliary verb. This structure also requires agreement in gender and number with the subject.

Here are the conjugations for the auxiliary verb être:

Example with aller (to go):

• J'étais allé à l'école avant la pluie (I had gone to school before the rain).
• Elles étaient parties avant minuit (They had left before midnight).

Choosing Between "avoir" and "être"

Verbs that use être in the passé composé also use it in the plus-que-parfait. These verbs mostly include verbs of movement, such as aller, venir, arriver, partir, and a few others like naître and mourir. Also, all reflexive verbs use être.

Note that with the auxiliary être, the participe passé must agree in gender and number with the subject:

• With être: elle était partie vs ils étaient partis
• With avoir, no agreement: elle avait mangé, ils avaient mangé