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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb accoupler

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The English translation of the French verb accoupler is “to couple” or “to mate.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ah-koo-play.”

Accoupler comes from the Latin word “copulare,” meaning “to join together,” and has been used in French since the 12th century. It is most commonly used in everyday French to refer to the act of joining two things or beings together.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, accoupler is used to indicate a past action that was completed before another past action. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense with the respective English translations:

  1. Ils s’étaient accouplés pour la première fois il y a cinq ans. (They had coupled for the first time five years ago.)

  2. J’avais accouplé les deux chiens avant qu’ils ne s’enfuient. (I had mated the two dogs before they ran away.)

  3. Elle avait accouplé les couleurs de sa robe avec celles de ses chaussures. (She had paired the colors of her dress with those of her shoes.)

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of accoupler

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais accouplé J’avais accouplé les oiseaux. I had mated the birds.
tu tu avais accouplé Tu avais accouplé les animaux. You had paired the animals.
il il avait accouplé Il avait accouplé les chiens. He had coupled the dogs.
elle elle avait accouplé Elle avait accouplé les chevaux. She had paired the horses.
on on avait accouplé On avait accouplé les lapins. One had paired the rabbits.
nous nous avions accouplé Nous avions accouplé les lions. We had coupled the lions.
vous vous aviez accouplé Vous aviez accouplé les éléphants. You had paired the elephants.
ils ils avaient accouplé Ils avaient accouplé les girafes. They had paired the giraffes.
elles elles avaient accouplé Elles avaient accouplé les pingouins. They had coupled the penguins.

Other Conjugations for Accoupler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accoupler
   

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

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

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

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

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accoupler     (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Accoupler – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “être” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangé (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlé (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient joué (They had played)
2. With “être” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’étais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu étais arrivé(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on était tombé(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous étions resté(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous étiez né(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles étaient monté(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangé avant qu’il ne soit arrivé” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivé, ils avaient déjà fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passé composé (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passé composé describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi différemment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

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

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