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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb discounter

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The English translation of the French verb discounter is “to discount” or “to give a discount.” It is pronounced as “dees-kon-tey” in its infinitive form.

The word discounter comes from the French noun “discount,” which originated in the 17th century from the Old French verb “desconter,” meaning “to count backward.” In everyday French, discounter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is equivalent to the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that had already happened before another past action.

Here are three examples of its usage in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais déjà discouté le prix avant que vous ne vous en rendiez compte. (I had already discounted the price before you realized it.)

  2. Il avait discouté tous les articles avant que le magasin ne ferme. (He had discounted all the items before the store closed.)

  3. Nous avions discouté nos vacances avant que la situation économique ne se détériore. (We had discounted our vacation before the economic situation worsened.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais discounté J’avais discounté le prix. I had discounted the price.
tu tu avais discounté Tu avais discounté l’article. You had discounted the item.
il il avait discounté Il avait discounté le produit. He had discounted the product.
elle elle avait discounté Elle avait discounté la marchandise. She had discounted the merchandise.
on on avait discounté On avait discounté les prix. One had discounted the prices.
nous nous avions discounté Nous avions discounté les billets. We had discounted the tickets.
vous vous aviez discounté Vous aviez discounté la valeur. You had discounted the value.
ils ils avaient discounté Ils avaient discounté les produits. They had discounted the products.
elles elles avaient discounté Elles avaient discounté l’offre. They had discounted the offer.

Other Conjugations for Discounter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb discounter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Discounter – 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.

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