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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépister

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The English translation of the French verb dépister is “to track” or “to trace.” It is pronounced “day-pee-stay” in its infinitive form.

The word dépister comes from the Latin word “depistare,” meaning “to track or follow the trail of an animal.” It was first used in the French language in the 16th century.

In everyday French, dépister is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about an action that was completed before another action in the past.

Example 1:
J’avais dépisté le voleur avant que la police n’arrive.
(I had tracked down the thief before the police arrived.)

Example 2:
Tu avais dépisté la source du bruit avant que je ne te rejoigne.
(You had traced the source of the noise before I joined you.)

Example 3:
Elle avait dépisté les symptômes avant de consulter un médecin.
(She had identified the symptoms before consulting a doctor.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais dépisté J’avais dépisté la maladie. I had detected the disease.
tu tu avais dépisté Tu avais dépisté le problème. You had detected the problem.
il il avait dépisté Il avait dépisté le virus. He had detected the virus.
elle elle avait dépisté Elle avait dépisté le cancer. She had detected the cancer.
on on avait dépisté On avait dépisté le problème. One had detected the problem.
nous nous avions dépisté Nous avions dépisté l’infection. We had detected the infection.
vous vous aviez dépisté Vous aviez dépisté la maladie. You had detected the disease.
ils ils avaient dépisté Ils avaient dépisté le virus. They had detected the virus.
elles elles avaient dépisté Elles avaient dépisté le cancer. They had detected the cancer.

Other Conjugations for Dépister.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépister
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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