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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb anticiper

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The English translation of the French verb anticiper is “to anticipate.” It is pronounced as “ahn-tee-see-pay.”

The word anticiper comes from the Latin word “anticipare,” which means “to take beforehand.” It entered the French language in the 16th century.

In everyday French, anticiper is most often used in the plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express an action that was completed before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of anticiper in the plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais anticipé cette réaction. (I had anticipated this reaction.)
  2. Tu avais anticipé le souci que cela pourrait engendrer. (You had anticipated the worry this could cause.)
  3. Ils avaient anticipé les problèmes et avaient pris des mesures préventives. (They had anticipated the problems and had taken preventive measures.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais anticipé J’avais anticipé la réaction. I had anticipated the reaction.
tu tu avais anticipé Tu avais anticipé le problème. You had anticipated the problem.
il il avait anticipé Il avait anticipé la réponse. He had anticipated the response.
elle elle avait anticipé Elle avait anticipé la situation. She had anticipated the situation.
on on avait anticipé On avait anticipé le scénario. One had anticipated the scenario.
nous nous avions anticipé Nous avions anticipé la conséquence. We had anticipated the consequence.
vous vous aviez anticipé Vous aviez anticipé le prochain pas. You had anticipated the next step.
ils ils avaient anticipé Ils avaient anticipé le danger. They had anticipated the danger.
elles elles avaient anticipé Elles avaient anticipé la réunion. They had anticipated the meeting.

Other Conjugations for Anticiper.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb anticiper
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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