Le plus-que-parfait
The plus-que-parfait expresses an action completed beforeanother past action: the “had done” tense. It is common in written and spoken French and essential for si-clauses and reported speech.
avoir / être in the imparfait + past participle
The rule
Same structure as the passé composé, but use avoir or être in the imparfait instead of the present tense. The same verbs that take être in the passé composé take être here: and the same agreement rules apply.
With avoir
j'avais + parlé / fini / vendu
With être (+ agreement)
j'étais + parti(e) / arrivé(e) / sorti(e)
With avoir — parler
| j' | avais parlé | I had spoken |
| tu | avais parlé | you had spoken |
| il / elle / on | avait parlé | he had spoken |
| nous | avions parlé | we had spoken |
| vous | aviez parlé | you had spoken |
| ils / elles | avaient parlé | they had spoken |
With être — partir
| je | étais parti(e) | I had left |
| tu | étais parti(e) | you had left |
| il / elle | était parti(e) | he / she had left |
| nous | étions parti(e)s | we had left |
| vous | étiez parti(e)(s) | you had left |
| ils / elles | étaient parti(e)s | they had left |
When to use the plus-que-parfait
Action completed before another past action
Il avait déjà mangé quand elle est arrivée.
He had already eaten when she arrived. The eating happened first (PQP): the arrival came after (passé composé).
Reported speech: tense shift back
Elle a dit qu'il était parti.
She said he had left. The original statement was 'il est parti': in reported speech, this shifts to the plus-que-parfait.
Condition in a si-clause (with conditionnel passé)
Si j'avais étudié, j'aurais réussi.
If I had studied, I would have passed. PQP in the si-clause, conditionnel passé in the result clause. This is the most tested use in exams.
After 'à peine… que' and 'ne… pas plutôt… que'
À peine avait-il parlé qu'elle sortit.
He had barely spoken when she left. Very formal/literary. Inversion is required after 'à peine' at the start of a clause.
The most important pattern — si-clauses
Si-clause
Plus-que-parfait → Si j'avais su…
Result clause
Conditionnel passé → j'aurais agi différemment.
If I had known, I would have acted differently.
This is the hypothetical past: describing what would have happened under different conditions.
Plus-que-parfait vs passé composé
| French | English | Why | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elle a lu le rapport. | She read the report. | Passé composé: completed action | |
| Elle avait lu le rapport avant la réunion. | She had read the report before the meeting. | PQP: completed before another past event | |
| Il est arrivé. | He arrived. | Passé composé: the event itself | |
| Quand je suis arrivé, il était déjà parti. | When I arrived, he had already left. | PC (my arrival) / PQP (his leaving happened first) |