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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb assimiler

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English translation: to assimilate

Pronunciation: uh-see-mee-ley

Language origin: Assimiler comes from the Latin word assimilare, which means “to make similar.” It entered the French language in the 16th century and has been used in its current form since the 19th century.

Usage in Plus-que-parfait tense: In everyday French, assimiler is most often used in the past tense, and specifically in the Plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) tense. This tense is used to talk about an action that occurred before another action in the past.

Examples:

  1. J’avais assimilé les règles du jeu avant de commencer à jouer. (I had assimilated the rules of the game before starting to play.)
  2. Elle m’avait assimilé à son frère parce que nous avions les mêmes intérêts. (She had assimilated me to her brother because we had the same interests.)
  3. Nous avions assimilé les informations avant de prendre notre décision. (We had assimilated the information before making our decision.)

English translations:

  1. I had assimilated
  2. She had assimilated
  3. We had assimilated

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais assimilé J’avais assimilé les informations. I had assimilated the information.
tu tu avais assimilé Tu avais assimilé la leçon. You had assimilated the lesson.
il il avait assimilé Il avait assimilé la culture. He had assimilated the culture.
elle elle avait assimilé Elle avait assimilé les compétences. She had assimilated the skills.
on on avait assimilé On avait assimilé la langue. One had assimilated the language.
nous nous avions assimilé Nous avions assimilé les concepts. We had assimilated the concepts.
vous vous aviez assimilé Vous aviez assimilé le vocabulaire. You had assimilated the vocabulary.
ils ils avaient assimilé Ils avaient assimilé les connaissances. They had assimilated the knowledge.
elles elles avaient assimilé Elles avaient assimilé les règles. They had assimilated the rules.

Other Conjugations for Assimiler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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