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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb essayer

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The English translation of the French verb essayer is “to try” or “to attempt.” It is pronounced as “eh-seh-yay.”

The language origin of essayer can be traced back to the Old French word “essai,” which means “trial” or “attempt.” This later evolved into the modern French verb essayer, which is derived from the Latin word “exagium,” meaning “weighing” or “trial.”

In everyday French, essayer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that had been completed before another action in the past.

Here are three examples of essayer in the Plus-que-parfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’avais déjà essayé de le convaincre, mais il n’a pas écouté. (I had already tried to convince him, but he didn’t listen.)
  2. Nous avions essayé de réparer la voiture avant qu’elle ne tombe en panne. (We had tried to fix the car before it broke down.)
  3. Ils avaient essayé d’apprendre le français, mais c’était trop difficile. (They had tried to learn French, but it was too difficult.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais essayé J’avais essayé de faire du sport. I had tried to do sports.
tu tu avais essayé Tu avais essayé de parler français. You had tried to speak French.
il il avait essayé Il avait essayé de conduire. He had tried to drive.
elle elle avait essayé Elle avait essayé de chanter. She had tried to sing.
on on avait essayé On avait essayé de prendre le train. One had tried to take the train.
nous nous avions essayé Nous avions essayé de résoudre le problème. We had tried to solve the problem.
vous vous aviez essayé Vous aviez essayé de cuisiner. You had tried to cook.
ils ils avaient essayé Ils avaient essayé de réparer la voiture. They had tried to fix the car.
elles elles avaient essayé Elles avaient essayé de dessiner. They had tried to draw.

Other Conjugations for Essayer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb essayer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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