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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb attacher

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The English translation of the French verb attacher is “to attach” or “to fasten.” It is pronounced “ah-tah-shay” in its infinitive form.

The word attacher comes from the Old French verb “atachier,” which is derived from the Latin verb “tangere,” meaning “to touch.” It is most often used in everyday French to refer to physically connecting or fixing one object to another, but it can also be used in a more metaphorical sense to mean “to tie,” “to link,” or “to bind.”

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, attacher is conjugated as follows:

J’avais attaché
Tu avais attaché
Il/elle avait attaché
Nous avions attaché
Vous aviez attaché
Ils/elles avaient attaché

Here are three simple examples of attacher in the Plus-que-parfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’avais attaché les ballons à la chaise avant qu’ils ne s’envolent.
    (I had attached the balloons to the chair before they flew away.)

  2. Tu avais attaché ton vélo à la barrière pour qu’il ne soit pas volé.
    (You had attached your bike to the gate so it wouldn’t be stolen.)

  3. Elle avait attaché ses cheveux en une queue de cheval avant d’aller à la gym.
    (She had tied her hair in a ponytail before going to the gym.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais attaché J’avais attaché mon manteau. I had attached my coat.
tu tu avais attaché Tu avais attaché tes lacets. You had tied your shoelaces.
il il avait attaché Il avait attaché la laisse. He had attached the leash.
elle elle avait attaché Elle avait attaché ses cheveux. She had tied her hair.
on on avait attaché On avait attaché les cordes. One had tied the ropes.
nous nous avions attaché Nous avions attaché les ballons. We had tied the balloons.
vous vous aviez attaché Vous aviez attaché les documents. You had attached the documents.
ils ils avaient attaché Ils avaient attaché le chien. They had tied the dog.
elles elles avaient attaché Elles avaient attaché les chevaux. They had tied the horses.

Other Conjugations for Attacher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb attacher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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