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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb escorter

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The English translation of the French verb escorter is “to escort.” It is pronounced as “es-kor-tay.”

The word escorter comes from the Old French verb “escorder,” which meant “to accompany.” It is derived from the Latin word “excorticare,” which has the same meaning. In modern French, escorter is often used in the context of accompanying someone for protection or guidance.

In everyday French, the verb escorter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express an action that occurred before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais escorté ma grand-mère jusqu’à la gare avant qu’elle ne prenne son train. (I had escorted my grandmother to the train station before she took her train.)
  2. Nous avions escorté les touristes à travers la ville avant qu’il ne fasse nuit. (We had escorted the tourists through the city before it got dark.)
  3. Ils avaient escorté la célébrité jusqu’à son hôtel avant que les fans ne l’entourent. (They had escorted the celebrity to her hotel before fans surrounded her.)

In these sentences, the verb escorter is conjugated in the Plus-que-parfait tense (avais escorté, avions escorté, avaient escorté) and is followed by the past tense of the second verb (prenne, fasse, entourent). The English translations also use the past perfect tense to express the same meaning.

Overall, escorter is a common verb in everyday French, used to describe the act of accompanying or protecting someone and can be used in various tenses to convey different nuances of meaning.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais escorté J’avais escorté le président. I had escorted the president.
tu tu avais escorté Tu avais escorté la reine. You had escorted the queen.
il il avait escorté Il avait escorté le diplomate. He had escorted the diplomat.
elle elle avait escorté Elle avait escorté l’ambassadrice. She had escorted the ambassador.
on on avait escorté On avait escorté le VIP. One had escorted the VIP.
nous nous avions escorté Nous avions escorté les invités. We had escorted the guests.
vous vous aviez escorté Vous aviez escorté les officiels. You had escorted the officials.
ils ils avaient escorté Ils avaient escorté les ministres. They had escorted the ministers.
elles elles avaient escorté Elles avaient escorté les célébrités. They had escorted the celebrities.

Other Conjugations for Escorter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb escorter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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