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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb concentrer

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The English translation of the French verb concentrer is “to concentrate.” In its infinitive form, concentrer is pronounced as “kon-san-treh.”

The word concentrer comes from the Latin word “concentrare,” meaning “to bring together.” It entered the French language in the 17th century and has been used in various contexts since then. In everyday French, concentrer is most often used to refer to the act of focusing or gathering one’s attention or resources in one place.

In the Plus-que-parfait (past perfect) tense, concentrer is conjugated as “avais concentré/avais concentrée” for the first and second person singular, “avait concentré” for the third person singular, and “avions concentré/avions concentrée” for the first person plural. It is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action or point in time. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais concentré toutes mes forces dans la dernière ligne droite. (I had concentrated all my strength in the final straight line.)
  2. Tu avais concentré ton attention sur une seule chose à la fois. (You had focused your attention on one thing at a time.)
  3. Ils avaient concentré leurs efforts sur ce projet depuis plusieurs mois. (They had concentrated their efforts on this project for several months.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais concentré J’avais concentré mon esprit. I had concentrated my mind.
tu tu avais concentré Tu avais concentré tes efforts. You had concentrated your efforts.
il il avait concentré Il avait concentré son attention. He had concentrated his attention.
elle elle avait concentré Elle avait concentré son énergie. She had concentrated her energy.
on on avait concentré On avait concentré nos ressources. One had concentrated our resources.
nous nous avions concentré Nous avions concentré nos efforts. We had concentrated our efforts.
vous vous aviez concentré Vous aviez concentré votre temps. You had concentrated your time.
ils ils avaient concentré Ils avaient concentré leur attention. They had concentrated their attention.
elles elles avaient concentré Elles avaient concentré leurs efforts. They had concentrated their efforts.

Other Conjugations for Concentrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb concentrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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