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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cacher

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of cacher. 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 cacher is “to hide.” It is pronounced “kah-sheh” in its infinitive form.

The word cacher comes from the Latin word “coactare,” which means “to hide or conceal.” In everyday French, cacher is most often used in the past tense, or the Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that occurred before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of how cacher is used in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais caché les cadeaux avant que les enfants se réveillent. (I had hidden the gifts before the children woke up.)
  2. Nous avions caché notre relation à nos parents pendant des mois. (We had hidden our relationship from our parents for months.)
  3. Tu avais caché ta peur pour ne pas montrer de faiblesse. (You had hidden your fear in order not to show weakness.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais caché J’avais caché le trésor. I had hidden the treasure.
tu tu avais caché Tu avais caché la clé. You had hidden the key.
il il avait caché Il avait caché le livre. He had hidden the book.
elle elle avait caché Elle avait caché la bague. She had hidden the ring.
on on avait caché On avait caché le secret. One had hidden the secret.
nous nous avions caché Nous avions caché l’argent. We had hidden the money.
vous vous aviez caché Vous aviez caché le dossier. You had hidden the folder.
ils ils avaient caché Ils avaient caché les clés. They had hidden the keys.
elles elles avaient caché Elles avaient caché les bijoux. They had hidden the jewelry.

Other Conjugations for Cacher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    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 cacher Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply