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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fréquenter

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The English translation of the French verb fréquenter is “to frequent” or “to visit often”. It is pronounced as “freh-kuhN-teh”.

The word fréquenter comes from the Latin word “frequentare” meaning “to frequent” or “to associate with”. In everyday French, it is most often used to describe visiting or going to a place on a regular basis, or to describe having a close relationship with someone.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, fréquenter is used to describe an action that had occurred repeatedly in the past before another past action. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais fréquenté cette école primaire pendant cinq ans avant de déménager. (I had attended this primary school for five years before moving.)

  2. Il avait fréquenté ce bar tous les vendredis soirs avant de rencontrer sa femme. (He had frequented this bar every Friday night before meeting his wife.)

  3. Nous avions fréquenté les mêmes cercles d’amis avant de nous rendre compte que nous étions dans la même classe. (We had been frequenting the same circles of friends before realizing that we were in the same class.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais fréquenté J’avais fréquenté l’université. I had attended university.
tu tu avais fréquenté Tu avais fréquenté l’école primaire. You had attended primary school.
il il avait fréquenté Il avait fréquenté la même école que moi. He had attended the same school as me.
elle elle avait fréquenté Elle avait fréquenté le même gymnase que moi. She had attended the same high school as me.
on on avait fréquenté On avait fréquenté le même collège que moi. One had attended the same college as me.
nous nous avions fréquenté Nous avions fréquenté la même université. We had attended the same university.
vous vous aviez fréquenté Vous aviez fréquenté la même école. You had attended the same school.
ils ils avaient fréquenté Ils avaient fréquenté la même école secondaire. They had attended the same secondary school.
elles elles avaient fréquenté Elles avaient fréquenté la même école secondaire. They had attended the same secondary school.

Other Conjugations for Fréquenter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fréquenter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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