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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépasser

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The English translation of the French verb dépasser is “to exceed” or “to go beyond.” It is pronounced as “day-pa-say.”

Dépasser comes from the Latin word “superpassare,” which means “to go beyond.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

Examples of dépasser in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais dépassé la limite de vitesse autorisée. (I had exceeded the speed limit.)
  2. Nous avions dépassé le nombre maximum de participants. (We had gone beyond the maximum number of participants.)
  3. Ils avaient dépassé le budget alloué pour les travaux. (They had surpassed the budget allocated for the work.)

The Plus-que-parfait tense is used to talk about an action that happened before another action in the past. In these examples, dépasser is used to indicate that the action of exceeding or surpassing happened before the main action in the sentence.

In everyday French, dépasser is commonly used in this tense to talk about exceeding limits, boundaries, or expectations. It can also be used in a more figurative sense, such as surpassing one’s own abilities or limitations.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais dépassé J’avais dépassé la limite de vitesse. I had exceeded the speed limit.
tu tu avais dépassé Tu avais dépassé les autres voitures. You had passed the other cars.
il il avait dépassé Il avait dépassé le camion. He had passed the truck.
elle elle avait dépassé Elle avait dépassé le vélo. She had passed the bike.
on on avait dépassé On avait dépassé le bus. One had passed the bus.
nous nous avions dépassé Nous avions dépassé le train. We had passed the train.
vous vous aviez dépassé Vous aviez dépassé la moto. You had passed the motorcycle.
ils ils avaient dépassé Ils avaient dépassé la voiture. They had passed the car.
elles elles avaient dépassé Elles avaient dépassé la camionnette. They had passed the van.

Other Conjugations for Dépasser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépasser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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