Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Introduction to the verb coûter
The English translation of the French verb coûter is “to cost.” It is pronounced as “koo-ter” in the infinitive form.
Coûter comes from the Old French word “costier,” which is derived from the Latin word “costare” meaning “to cost.” In everyday French, coûter is most often used to talk about the price or cost of something.
In the Plus-que-parfait tense, coûter is used to indicate an action that had already happened in the past before another action took place. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:
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J’avais acheté cette voiture pour 5000 euros. Elle m’avait coûté une fortune. (I had bought this car for 5000 euros. It had cost me a fortune.)
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Ils avaient dépensé tout leur argent en vacances. Ça leur avait coûté cher. (They had spent all their money on vacation. It had cost them a lot.)
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Tu avais promis de payer pour le dîner, mais finalement c’est moi qui avais coûté. (You had promised to pay for dinner, but in the end it was me who had paid.)
In these examples, coûter is used to describe the cost of something in the past, before another action took place. The Plus-que-parfait tense is often used in these types of sentences to show the sequence of events in the past.
Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of coûter
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | j’avais coûté | J’avais coûté cher à mes parents. | I had cost my parents a lot. |
tu | tu avais coûté | Tu avais coûté plus que prévu. | You had cost more than expected. |
il | il avait coûté | Il avait coûté une fortune. | He had cost a fortune. |
elle | elle avait coûté | Elle avait coûté cher à l’entreprise. | She had cost the company a lot. |
on | on avait coûté | On avait coûté trop d’argent. | One had cost too much money. |
nous | nous avions coûté | Nous avions coûté beaucoup d’efforts. | We had cost a lot of effort. |
vous | vous aviez coûté | Vous aviez coûté une somme considérable. | You had cost a considerable sum. |
ils | ils avaient coûté | Ils avaient coûté cher à leurs parents. | They had cost their parents a lot. |
elles | elles avaient coûté | Elles avaient coûté une fortune à leurs employeurs. | They had cost their employers a fortune. |
Other Conjugations for Coûter.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter (this article)
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
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Coûter – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense
Tense Formation
Common everyday usage patterns
Sequencing of past events
Background information
Hypothetical or reported speech
Interactions with other tenses
Summary
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