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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb collecter

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The English translation of the French verb collecter is “to collect.” The infinitive form of collecter is pronounced “koh-lek-tey.”

The word collecter comes from the Latin word “collectus,” meaning “to gather together.” It entered the French language in the 14th century.

In everyday French, collecter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense used to describe an action that occurred before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three examples of collecter used in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais collecté des fonds pour l’association caritative avant mon départ en vacances. (I had collected funds for the charity before leaving on vacation.)

  2. Tu étais déjà parti quand j’ai collecté les informations nécessaires pour notre projet. (You had already left when I collected the necessary information for our project.)

  3. Ils étaient déjà partis quand nous avons collecté les données pour notre étude. (They had already left when we collected the data for our study.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais collecté J’avais collecté des informations. I had collected information.
tu tu avais collecté Tu avais collecté des témoignages. You had collected testimonies.
il il avait collecté Il avait collecté des données. He had collected data.
elle elle avait collecté Elle avait collecté des preuves. She had collected evidence.
on on avait collecté On avait collecté des échantillons. One had collected samples.
nous nous avions collecté Nous avions collecté des fonds. We had collected funds.
vous vous aviez collecté Vous aviez collecté des contributions. You had collected contributions.
ils ils avaient collecté Ils avaient collecté des objets. They had collected objects.
elles elles avaient collecté Elles avaient collecté des dons. They had collected donations.

Other Conjugations for Collecter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb collecter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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