Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb approcher

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The English translation of the French verb approcher is “to approach.” The infinitive form, which is the base form of the verb, is pronounced “ah-proh-shay.”

The word “approcher” comes from the Latin word “approcare,” meaning “to come near.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe physically getting closer to someone or something, but it can also be used in a more abstract sense, such as approaching a problem or solution.

In the Passé Antérieur tense, which is used to talk about actions that happened before another past action, “approcher” is conjugated as follows:

J’eus approché
Tu eus approché
Il/Elle eut approché
Nous eûmes approché
Vous eûtes approché
Ils/Elles eurent approché

Here are three simple examples of how “approcher” is used in the Passé Antérieur tense:

  1. J’eus approché mon ami avant qu’il ne parte. (I approached my friend before he left.)

  2. Tu eus approché la voiture de la maison sans te faire remarquer. (You approached the car to the house without being noticed.)

  3. Elle eut approché la solution idéale avant que les autres ne la trouvent. (She approached the ideal solution before the others found it.)

Note: In English, the Passé Antérieur tense is often translated using the past perfect tense, so the translations of these examples may vary slightly depending on the context.

Table of the Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of approcher

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’eusse J’eusse approché I had approached
tu tu eusses Tu eusses approché You had approached
il il eût Il eût approché He had approached
elle elle eût Elle eût approché She had approached
on on eût On eût approché One had approached
nous nous eûmes Nous eûmes approché We had approached
vous vous eûtes Vous eûtes approché You had approached
ils ils eurent Ils eurent approché They had approached
elles elles eurent Elles eurent approché They had approached

Other Conjugations for Approcher.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb approcher
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher (this article)

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb approcher

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Approcher – About the French Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense

The French Passé Antérieur tense, often referred to as the “past anterior” in English, is a literary and formal past tense that is not commonly used in everyday spoken French. It is primarily found in written language, particularly in literature, historical texts, and formal writing. This tense is used to express actions that occurred before another action in the past, serving a similar purpose to the past perfect tense (passé composé) in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation of the Passé Antérieur

The Passé Antérieur is formed by using the third person singular of the passé simple (simple past) tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
The choice between “avoir” and “être” as the auxiliary verb depends on the main verb and its transitivity or intransitivity. Here is the basic structure:
1. For verbs that use “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’eus (I had) + past participle (of the main verb)
2. For verbs that use “être” as the auxiliary verb:
   – Je fus (I was) + past participle (of the main verb)

Common Usage Patterns

As mentioned earlier, the Passé Antérieur is primarily used in formal and literary contexts. It is rarely used in everyday spoken French, where the passé composé and imparfait are more commonly used to express past actions. Some common patterns of usage include:

Literature

The Passé Antérieur is frequently used in literature to describe past events in a succinct and formal manner.

Historical Texts

It is used in historical narratives to recount past actions and events.

Formal Writing

In formal and academic writing, the Passé Antérieur can be employed to convey events in the past with a sense of formality and precision.

Interactions with Other Tenses

The Passé Antérieur often interacts with other tenses, especially when narrating past events in a chronological order:

Passé Composé (Present Perfect)

The Passé Antérieur can be used to indicate an action that occurred before another action expressed in the passé composé. For example: “Il eut terminé son travail avant que je ne sois arrivé.” (He had finished his work before I arrived).

Imparfait (Imperfect)

The Passé Antérieur may be used in conjunction with the imparfait to convey a sequence of past actions. For instance: “Elle arriva après que nous eûmes commencé.” (She arrived after we had started).

Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect)

In the context of storytelling or narration, the Passé Antérieur can be used to describe events that happened before a future action expressed in the futur antérieur. For example: “Il partira après qu’il aura fini.” (He will leave after he has finished).

Summary

Passé Antérieur is a formal past tense used in written language and literary contexts to describe actions that occurred before another action in the past. It is not commonly used in everyday spoken French where you should instead use the passé composé and imparfait for discussing past events.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb approcher. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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