In this aide mémoire, we will look at the plus-que-parfait de l’indicatif, which simply means “to have had” in English.  This concept needs to be understood to get a C level on the grammar and oral tests.  However, for someone that is currently seeking an A or B level, knowing this construction will give you a couple of extra points that can push your score up to compensate for missed questions in other areas.  Before proceeding with this exercise, we recommend reviewing the aide mémoire on passé composé and imparfait first.

Important Note:  In all cases, remember the VANDERTRAMP and reflexive rules.  They apply here.  We will omit the direct object exercises here.

The plus-que-parfait de l’indicatif (past perfect in English) sounds more complicated than it is.  It is very similar to English and simply stated is two actions happening in the past with one occurring before the other.  This is a bit different from passé composé and imparfait in the past tense as can be seen by the examples in the table.

Plus-que-parfait is formed by using the appropriate verb of avoir or être in the imparfait form (hence why we suggest reviewing imparfait first before this exercise) and the past participle of the other verb.  The plus-que-parfait can be used with conditional, infinitive, and subjunctive clauses.  Understanding the context of the phrase is important to know if plus-que-parfait is required.  Essentially, something had happened when something else occurred (not just happened).  Sounds confusing?  Don’t worry, follow the formula and examples here. It is often easiest to see the patterns in examples than try to explain mundane rules.

Use the following formula:

Avoir/être in imparfait + past participle = Plus-que-parfait

Examples :

Here is a standard “had” example:

Il était en train de manger quand l’officier a frappé à la porte/He had been eating when the officer knocked on the door.

In the following example, we see the plus-que-parfait used with avant de + an infinitive verb.  Another is avant + noun.

Ils avaient appelé le restaurant avant de se rendre à la fête/They had called the restaurant before attending the party.

Here is an example using past conditional and negation:

Les criminels auraient été jugés s’ils n’avaient pas fui le pays/The criminals would have been tried if they had not fled the country.

Here is an example using être with a reflexive (se+verb) and passé composé:

Les pilotes avaient atterri lorsque l’incendie s’est déclaré/The pilots had landed when the fire broke out.

This example uses three verbs together (avoir, finir, écrire) and an example of a transition word positioned in the past conditional part (déjà).

Si j’avais fini d’écrire le livre, j’aurais déjà été payé/If I had finished writing the book, I would have been paid by now.

In general, if we say that something had already occurred before another event, that is likely plus-que-parfait.