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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb assister

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of assister. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb assister is “to assist” or “to attend.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ah-see-stay.”

Assister comes from the Latin word “assistere,” meaning “to stand by.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has remained an important verb since then.

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

Here are three simple examples of how assister is used in the plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais assisté au spectacle avant que tu arrives. (I had attended the show before you arrived.)
  2. Nous avions assisté au mariage de nos amis avant de déménager. (We had attended our friends’ wedding before moving.)
  3. Ils avaient assisté à la réunion avant de prendre leur décision. (They had attended the meeting before making their decision.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais assisté J’avais assisté au spectacle. I had attended the show.
tu tu avais assisté Tu avais assisté à la réunion. You had attended the meeting.
il il avait assisté Il avait assisté à l’événement. He had attended the event.
elle elle avait assisté Elle avait assisté au concert. She had attended the concert.
on on avait assisté On avait assisté à l’émission. One had attended the show.
nous nous avions assisté Nous avions assisté au match. We had attended the game.
vous vous aviez assisté Vous aviez assisté à la conférence. You had attended the conference.
ils ils avaient assisté Ils avaient assisté à la cérémonie. They had attended the ceremony.
elles elles avaient assisté Elles avaient assisté à la pièce. They had attended the play.

Other Conjugations for Assister.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assister
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the assister Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply