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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb consulter

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of consulter. 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 consulter is “to consult.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced “kɔ̃.syl.te.”

The word consulter comes from the Latin verb consultare, meaning “to consider” or “to deliberate.” It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the act of seeking advice or information from someone.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, consulter is used to talk about past actions that were completed before another past action. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais consulté mon médecin avant de prendre une décision. (I had consulted my doctor before making a decision.)

  2. Elle avait consulté son agenda avant de fixer le rendez-vous. (She had consulted her calendar before scheduling the meeting.)

  3. Ils avaient consulté plusieurs experts avant de se lancer dans le projet. (They had consulted several experts before starting the project.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais consulté J’avais consulté le médecin. I had consulted the doctor.
tu tu avais consulté Tu avais consulté un avocat. You had consulted a lawyer.
il il avait consulté Il avait consulté un spécialiste. He had consulted a specialist.
elle elle avait consulté Elle avait consulté un psychologue. She had consulted a psychologist.
on on avait consulté On avait consulté un conseiller. One had consulted a counselor.
nous nous avions consulté Nous avions consulté un expert. We had consulted an expert.
vous vous aviez consulté Vous aviez consulté un comptable. You had consulted an accountant.
ils ils avaient consulté Ils avaient consulté un conseiller. They had consulted a counselor.
elles elles avaient consulté Elles avaient consulté un avocat. They had consulted a lawyer.

Other Conjugations for Consulter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb consulter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    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 consulter Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts