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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb assassiner

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The English translation of the French verb assassiner is “to assassinate.” It is pronounced ah-sah-see-neh in the infinitive form.

Assassiner comes from the Latin word “assassinare” which means “to kill,” and it entered the French language in the 16th century. It is primarily used to describe the premeditated killing of a person of political or social importance.

In everyday French, assassiner is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about an action that was completed before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais assassiné le roi avant que les gardes n’arrivent. (I had assassinated the king before the guards arrived.)

  2. Tu avais assassiné ta femme quand la police est arrivée. (You had assassinated your wife when the police arrived.)

  3. Ils avaient assassiné le président avant que la révolution ne commence. (They had assassinated the president before the revolution began.)

In all of these examples, the action of assassinating took place before another past action (the arrival of guards, the arrival of the police, and the start of the revolution). The Plus-que-parfait tense emphasizes the completion of the action of assassinating in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais assassiné J’avais assassiné le roi. I had assassinated the king.
tu tu avais assassiné Tu avais assassiné le président. You had assassinated the president.
il il avait assassiné Il avait assassiné le dictateur. He had assassinated the dictator.
elle elle avait assassiné Elle avait assassiné l’empereur. She had assassinated the emperor.
on on avait assassiné On avait assassiné le chef. One had assassinated the leader.
nous nous avions assassiné Nous avions assassiné le tyran. We had assassinated the tyrant.
vous vous aviez assassiné Vous aviez assassiné le chef d’État. You had assassinated the head of state.
ils ils avaient assassiné Ils avaient assassiné le ministre. They had assassinated the minister.
elles elles avaient assassiné Elles avaient assassiné le premier ministre. They had assassinated the prime minister.

Other Conjugations for Assassiner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assassiner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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