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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb craquer

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The English translation of the French verb craquer is “to crack, to snap, to break.” It is pronounced “krah-ker” in infinitive form.

Craquer comes from the Old French word “craqueler,” which means “to crackle, to make a cracking sound.” It is most commonly used in everyday French to describe the action of something breaking or cracking, but it can also have more figurative meanings such as “to give in,” “to lose control,” or “to have a breakdown.”

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, craquer is conjugated as “avoir craqué” for the auxiliary verb avoir and “être craqué” for the auxiliary verb être. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais craqué sous la pression du travail. (I had cracked under the pressure of work.)
  2. Elle était craquée après une longue journée de marche. (She had broken down after a long day of walking.)
  3. Nous avions craqué le miroir en le déplaçant. (We had cracked the mirror while moving it.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais craqué J’avais craqué pour elle. I had fallen for her.
tu tu avais craqué Tu avais craqué pour lui. You had fallen for him.
il il avait craqué Il avait craqué pour elle. He had fallen for her.
elle elle avait craqué Elle avait craqué pour lui. She had fallen for him.
on on avait craqué On avait craqué pour elle. One had fallen for her.
nous nous avions craqué Nous avions craqué pour eux. We had fallen for them.
vous vous aviez craqué Vous aviez craqué pour elle. You had fallen for her.
ils ils avaient craqué Ils avaient craqué pour elles. They had fallen for them.
elles elles avaient craqué Elles avaient craqué pour eux. They had fallen for them.

Other Conjugations for Craquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb craquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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