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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb espérer

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The English translation of the French verb espérer is “to hope” or “to wish.” It is pronounced as “es-peh-ray.”

Espérer comes from the Latin word “sperare,” which means “to hope or expect.” In everyday French, it is most commonly used to express a desire or expectation for something to happen in the future.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English, espérer is used to express a hope or wish that was not fulfilled in the past.

Here are three examples of using espérer in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais espéré qu’il viendrait à ma fête, mais il a dû annuler. (I had hoped that he would come to my party, but he had to cancel.)

  2. Nous avions espéré que le temps serait meilleur pour notre voyage, mais il a plu tout le temps. (We had hoped that the weather would be better for our trip, but it rained the whole time.)

  3. Tu avais espéré obtenir une promotion, mais finalement c’est ton collègue qui l’a eue. (You had hoped to get a promotion, but in the end it was your colleague who got it.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais espéré J’avais espéré trouver un bon restaurant. I had hoped to find a good restaurant.
tu tu avais espéré Tu avais espéré qu’il viendrait. You had hoped he would come.
il il avait espéré Il avait espéré obtenir une promotion. He had hoped to get a promotion.
elle elle avait espéré Elle avait espéré prendre des vacances. She had hoped to take a vacation.
on on avait espéré On avait espéré avoir du beau temps. One had hoped for good weather.
nous nous avions espéré Nous avions espéré passer une bonne soirée. We had hoped to have a good evening.
vous vous aviez espéré Vous aviez espéré une réponse rapide. You had hoped for a quick response.
ils ils avaient espéré Ils avaient espéré une victoire. They had hoped for a victory.
elles elles avaient espéré Elles avaient espéré un meilleur résultat. They had hoped for a better outcome.

Other Conjugations for Espérer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb espérer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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