Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Introduction to the verb exister
The English translation of the French verb exister is “to exist.” It is pronounced eh-ksis-tey in the infinitive form.
“Exister” comes from the Latin word “existere,” meaning “to appear” or “to arise.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to describe an action that happened before another past action or point in time.
Here are three simple examples of “exister” in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:
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J’avais toujours pensé que les extraterrestres n’existaient pas. (I had always thought that aliens did not exist.)
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Il avait promis de m’aider mais il n’a jamais existé pour moi. (He had promised to help me, but he never existed for me.)
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Quand j’ai visité Paris, je me suis rendu compte que la beauté de cette ville existait déjà bien avant ma naissance. (When I visited Paris, I realized that the beauty of this city had already existed long before my birth.)
Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of exister
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | j’avais existé | J’avais existé depuis longtemps. | I had existed for a long time. |
tu | tu avais existé | Tu avais existé dans ce monde. | You had existed in this world. |
il | il avait existé | Il avait existé avant moi. | He had existed before me. |
elle | elle avait existé | Elle avait existé dans cet univers. | She had existed in this universe. |
on | on avait existé | On avait existé avant nous. | One had existed before us. |
nous | nous avions existé | Nous avions existé ensemble. | We had existed together. |
vous | vous aviez existé | Vous aviez existé depuis longtemps. | You had existed for a long time. |
ils | ils avaient existé | Ils avaient existé dans cette ville. | They had existed in this city. |
elles | elles avaient existé | Elles avaient existé depuis des années. | They had existed for years. |
Other Conjugations for Exister.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister (this article)
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exister
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Exister – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense
Tense Formation
Common everyday usage patterns
Sequencing of past events
Background information
Hypothetical or reported speech
Interactions with other tenses
Summary
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