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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb assister

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The English translation of the French verb assister is “to attend” or “to assist.” It is pronounced as “ah-see-stay.”

The word “assister” comes from the Latin word “assistere,” which means “to stand by” or “to assist.” It entered the French language in the 13th century and has been used in various contexts since then.

In everyday French, “assister” is most commonly used in the Passé Antérieur tense, which is the past tense used for events that occurred before another past event. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” conjugated in the simple past tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Antérieur tense:

  1. J’eus assisté au concert avant d’aller au cinéma. (I had attended the concert before going to the movies.)
  2. Nous fûmes assistés par des professionnels après l’accident. (We were assisted by professionals after the accident.)
  3. Ils eurent assisté à la cérémonie avant de se rendre à la réception. (They had attended the ceremony before going to the reception.)

In these examples, “assister” is used to indicate that the action of attending or assisting took place before another past event mentioned in the sentence. The Passé Antérieur tense is often used in formal or written French, such as in historical or literary texts.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Assister.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assister
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Assister – 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 assister. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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