Other tenses 1 The pluperfect 1.1 Formation The pluperfect is formed by using the
imperfect
of avoir
or être with the
past participle
:
La fois précédente je l'avais rencontrée
ailleurs
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The time before I had met her somewhere else
Avant de la revoir je m'étais demandé
si ce que je faisais était prudent
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Before seeing her again I had asked myself if I was doing
the right thing
Il a dit que Marie avait lu la nouvelle dans le journal.
He said that Marie had read the news in the newspaper.
Il avait dû apprendre à utiliser un ordinateur.
He had had to learn to use a computer.
Je lui ai demandé pourquoi le prix avait augmenté.
I asked him why the price had gone up.
Les réformes que le maire avait demandées étaient nécessaires.
The reforms that the mayor had asked for were necessary.
Si j’ avais su de quelle sorte de fête il s’agissait je ne les aurais pas laissés y aller.
If I had known what sort of party it was going to be I would never have let them go.
1.2 Use of the pluperfect The pluperfect is used when describing something that happened prior
to an event that is itself in the past:
Avant de partir, il lui avait demandé
de téléphoner au garage
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Before he went out, he had asked him / her to phone the
garage
Je lui avais déjà dit
d'apporter le livre en cours
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I had already told him / her to bring the book to the class
Il a dit que Marie avait lu la nouvelle dans le journal.
He said that Marie had read the news in the newspaper.
Il avait dû apprendre à utiliser un ordinateur.
He had had to learn to use a computer.
Je lui ai demandé pourquoi le prix avait augmenté.
I asked him why the price had gone up.
Les réformes que le maire avait demandées étaient nécessaires.
The reforms that the mayor had asked for were necessary.
Si j’ avais su de quelle sorte de fête il s’agissait je ne les aurais pas laissés y aller.
If I had known what sort of party it was going to be I would never have let them go.
The pluperfect is also used in
conditional
sentences using si :
Si j'avais su , je serais venu
plus tôt
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If I had known, I would have come sooner
Vous auriez été promu si vous aviez
accepté de travailler à l'étranger
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You would have been promoted if you had agreed to work abroad
2 The past historic 2.1 DefinitionLike the
perfect
, the past historic is used to describe something that
has been completed. It is generally only used in written narratives such
as novels, biographies and so on, or in formal articles and speeches.
It is not used in conversation or dialogue .
2.2 Regular formationFor regular verbs the past historic is formed
as follows:
Table 13.1b Past historic of first group (-er verbs) pronoun aimer
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finir
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rendre
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je aimai finis rendis tu aimas finis rendis il / elle aima finit rendit nous aimâmes finîmes rendîmes vous aimâtes finîtes rendîmes ils / elles aimèrent finirent rendirent
Il finit l'oeuvre en 1887
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He finished the work in 1887
Ils répondirent aux questions
des journalistes
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They replied to the journalists' questions
Les Alliées débarquèrent en
juin 1944
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The Allies landed in June 1944
En 1998 l’équipe de France gagna la Coupe du Monde.
In 1998 the French team won the world cup.
Il donna son premier récital alors qu’il n’avait que six ans.
He gave his first recital when he was only six years old.
Nous finîmes notre lune de miel à Rome.
We completed our honeymoon in Rome.
Ils refusèrent de suivre les conseils des leurs parents.
They refused to follow the advice of their parents.
Les médecins donnèrent des avis différents quant à la cause de sa maladie.
The doctors gave different opinions as to the cause of his disease.
2.3 Irregular formationSome
irregular
conjugations:
Table 13.2.2b Past historic of third-group verbs infinitive past historic (je form) avoir
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eus être
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fus croire
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crus écrire
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écrivis faire
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fis falloir il fallut lire
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lus mettre
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mis pouvoir
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pus prendre
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pris venir
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vins vivre
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vécus voir
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vis vouloir
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voulus
Tout d'un coup il y eut un
moment de grande confusion
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Suddenly there was a moment of great confusion
De Gaulle fut Président de
la République de 1958 à 1969
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De Gaulle was French President from 1958 à 1969
Mozart mourut en 1791
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Mozart died in 1791
Nous fûmes à deux doigts d’abandonner la lutte.
We were on the verge of giving up the struggle.
Il fut professeur de littérature anglaise à la Sorbonne.
He was a professor of English literature at the Sorbonne.
Winston Churchill mourut en 1965.
Winston Churchill died in 1965.
Un sourire lui vint aux lèvres.
A smile came to his face.
Ils voulurent partir le plus tôt possible pour éviter l’orage qui menaçait.
They wanted to leave as early as possible to avoid the approaching thunderstorm.
