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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délivrer

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The English translation of the French verb délivrer is “to deliver.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-lee-vray.”

Délivrer comes from the Old French word “delivrer,” which is derived from the Latin word “deliberare,” meaning “to set free.” It is most often used in everyday French to express the action of freeing someone or something from confinement or danger.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, délivrer is used to talk about an action that had already been completed in the past. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle “délivré.”

Here are three simple examples of délivrer in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais déjà délivré les prisonniers avant que le garde ne s’en aperçoive. (I had already delivered the prisoners before the guard noticed.)

  2. Elle m’avait délivré des soucis en m’offrant son aide. (She had delivered me from worries by offering her help.)

  3. Nous avions délivré le colis à temps pour qu’il soit livré avant Noël. (We had delivered the package on time for it to be delivered before Christmas.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais délivré J’avais délivré le paquet. I had delivered the package.
tu tu avais délivré Tu avais délivré le message. You had delivered the message.
il il avait délivré Il avait délivré les lettres. He had delivered the letters.
elle elle avait délivré Elle avait délivré le colis. She had delivered the package.
on on avait délivré On avait délivré le colis. One had delivered the package.
nous nous avions délivré Nous avions délivré le courrier. We had delivered the mail.
vous vous aviez délivré Vous aviez délivré les colis. You had delivered the packages.
ils ils avaient délivré Ils avaient délivré les paquets. They had delivered the packages.
elles elles avaient délivré Elles avaient délivré le message. They had delivered the message.

Other Conjugations for Délivrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délivrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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