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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb estimer

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The English translation of the French verb estimer is “to estimate” or “to assess.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ehs-tee-meh.”

Estimer comes from the Latin word aestimare, meaning “to value” or “to estimate.” It is most often used in everyday French to express the action of evaluating or giving an opinion on the value, cost, or quality of something.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, estimer is used to express an estimation or assessment that was made in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais estimé le coût du projet à 5000 euros. (I had estimated the cost of the project at 5000 euros.)
  2. Tu avais estimé que ça prendrait deux heures pour arriver à la plage. (You had estimated that it would take two hours to get to the beach.)
  3. Ils avaient estimé que la maison serait prête à la fin du mois. (They had estimated that the house would be ready by the end of the month.)

In all of these examples, estimer is used to express an estimation or assessment that was made in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais estimé J’avais estimé son potentiel. I had estimated his potential.
tu tu avais estimé Tu avais estimé le temps. You had estimated the time.
il il avait estimé Il avait estimé les coûts. He had estimated the costs.
elle elle avait estimé Elle avait estimé le projet. She had estimated the project.
on on avait estimé On avait estimé le niveau. One had estimated the level.
nous nous avions estimé Nous avions estimé la distance. We had estimated the distance.
vous vous aviez estimé Vous aviez estimé le travail. You had estimated the work.
ils ils avaient estimé Ils avaient estimé les résultats. They had estimated the results.
elles elles avaient estimé Elles avaient estimé les coûts. They had estimated the costs.

Other Conjugations for Estimer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb estimer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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