Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Introduction to the verb conter
The English translation of the French verb conter is “to tell.” It is pronounced “kohn-tay.”
The word conter comes from the Latin verb “computare,” meaning “to count” or “to calculate.” In Old French, it evolved into “conter,” which also carried the meaning of “to recount” or “to tell a story.”
In everyday French, conter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action.
Here are three simple examples of conter in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:
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J’avais déjà conté cette histoire avant qu’il ne soit arrivé. (I had already told this story before he arrived.)
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Elle avait raconté une blague avant que je ne lui demande de le faire. (She had told a joke before I asked her to do it.)
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Nous avions raconté nos aventures avant que le soleil ne se couche. (We had told our adventures before the sun set.)
Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of conter
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | j’avais conté | J’avais conté une histoire. | I had told a story. |
tu | tu avais conté | Tu avais conté une blague. | You had told a joke. |
il | il avait conté | Il avait conté un secret. | He had told a secret. |
elle | elle avait conté | Elle avait conté une anecdote. | She had told an anecdote. |
on | on avait conté | On avait conté une légende. | One had told a legend. |
nous | nous avions conté | Nous avions conté une fable. | We had told a fable. |
vous | vous aviez conté | Vous aviez conté une histoire. | You had told a story. |
ils | ils avaient conté | Ils avaient conté une blague. | They had told a joke. |
elles | elles avaient conté | Elles avaient conté une anecdote. | They had told an anecdote. |
Other Conjugations for Conter.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter (this article)
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
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Conter – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense
Tense Formation
Common everyday usage patterns
Sequencing of past events
Background information
Hypothetical or reported speech
Interactions with other tenses
Summary
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