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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb alléger

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The English translation of the French verb alléger is “to lighten” or “to ease.” It is pronounced as ah-leh-zhay in the infinitive form.

The word alléger comes from the Old French word “alagier,” meaning “to alleviate” or “to make lighter.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense of the past tense, and is used to express an action that happened before another past action.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’avais allégé mes bagages avant de partir en voyage. (I had lightened my luggage before leaving on the trip.)
  2. Ils avaient allégé leurs dettes grâce à un prêt bancaire. (They had eased their debts thanks to a bank loan.)
  3. Elle avait allégé sa charge de travail en déléguant certaines tâches. (She had lightened her workload by delegating some tasks.)

In all of these examples, the action of alléger (lightening or easing) occurred before another past action, indicated by the past tense verb that follows. This tense is commonly used in storytelling or recounting events that happened in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais allégé J’avais allégé mon sac à dos. I had lightened my backpack.
tu tu avais allégé Tu avais allégé ta charge. You had lightened your load.
il il avait allégé Il avait allégé sa valise. He had lightened his suitcase.
elle elle avait allégé Elle avait allégé son fardeau. She had lightened her burden.
on on avait allégé On avait allégé les étagères. One had lightened the shelves.
nous nous avions allégé Nous avions allégé la charge. We had lightened the load.
vous vous aviez allégé Vous aviez allégé votre valise. You had lightened your suitcase.
ils ils avaient allégé Ils avaient allégé leurs sacs. They had lightened their bags.
elles elles avaient allégé Elles avaient allégé leur sac à dos. They had lightened their backpacks.

Other Conjugations for Alléger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb alléger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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