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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb amender

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The English translation of the French verb amender is “to amend” or “to improve.”

The infinitive form of amender is pronounced “ah-mahn-day.”

The word amender comes from the Latin verb “emendare,” meaning “to correct” or “to improve.” It entered into the French language in the 12th century and has been used in everyday French ever since.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, amender is used to express actions that happened in the past, before another action also in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense and the past participle of amender, “amendé.”

Here are three examples of amender in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais amendé mon discours avant de le présenter à la réunion. (I had amended my speech before presenting it at the meeting.)

  2. Tu avais amendé ta recette pour enlever le sucre. (You had amended your recipe to remove the sugar.)

  3. Elle avait amendé son comportement après avoir reçu des critiques. (She had amended her behavior after receiving criticisms.)

In each of these examples, amender is used to describe an action that happened before another action in the past. The English translations also use the past perfect tense to express the same idea.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais amendé J’avais amendé le document. I had amended the document.
tu tu avais amendé Tu avais amendé l’article. You had amended the article.
il il avait amendé Il avait amendé la loi. He had amended the law.
elle elle avait amendé Elle avait amendé sa déclaration. She had amended her statement.
on on avait amendé On avait amendé le contrat. One had amended the contract.
nous nous avions amendé Nous avions amendé nos erreurs. We had amended our mistakes.
vous vous aviez amendé Vous aviez amendé le texte. You had amended the text.
ils ils avaient amendé Ils avaient amendé leurs règles. They had amended their rules.
elles elles avaient amendé Elles avaient amendé leur proposition. They had amended their proposal.

Other Conjugations for Amender.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb amender
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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