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French Past Perfect - Pluperfect

How to conjugate the past perfect

By Laura K. Lawless, About.com

The French past perfect is a compound conjugation, which means it has two parts:
  1. imperfect of the auxiliary verb (either avoir or être)
     
  2. past participle of the main verb

Note: Like all French compound conjugations, the past perfect may be subject to grammatical agreement:
  • When the auxiliary verb is être, the past participle must agree with the subject
     
  • When the auxiliary verb is avoir, the past participle may have to agree with its direct object


French past perfect conjugations
  
AIMER (auxiliary verb is avoir)
j'avais aimé nousavions aimé
tuavais aimévousaviez aimé
il,
elle 
avait aiméils,
elles 
avaient aimé
  
DEVENIR (être verb)
j'étais devenu(e) nousétions devenu(e)s
tuétais devenu(e)vousétiez devenu(e)(s)
ilétait devenuilsétaient devenus
elle était devenueellesétaient devenues
  
SE LAVER (pronominal verb)
jem'étais lavé(e) nousnous étions lavé(e)s
tut'étais lavé(e)vousvous étiez lavé(e)(s)
ils'était lavéilss'étaient lavés
elle s'était lavéeelless'étaient lavées

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