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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb habiter

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The English translation of the French verb habiter is “to live” or “to inhabit”. The infinitive form is pronounced ah-bee-tay.

Habiter comes from the Latin word “habitare” meaning “to dwell” or “to inhabit”. It is a regular -er verb and is most often used in everyday French to talk about where someone lives or the act of living in a particular place.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, habiter is used to talk about an action that had already happened in the past before another past action. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense and the past participle of habiter, which is “habité”.

Here are three simple examples of habiter in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais habité à Paris pendant cinq ans avant de déménager à Marseille. (I had lived in Paris for five years before moving to Marseille.)
  2. Tu avais habité dans cette maison avant que je l’achète. (You had lived in this house before I bought it.)
  3. Ils avaient habité dans ce village depuis leur enfance. (They had lived in this village since their childhood.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais habité J’avais habité dans cet appartement pendant cinq ans. I had lived in this apartment for five years.
tu tu avais habité Tu avais habité à la campagne avant de déménager en ville. You had lived in the countryside before moving to the city.
il il avait habité Il avait habité en Espagne avant de venir en France. He had lived in Spain before coming to France.
elle elle avait habité Elle avait habité dans cette maison depuis son enfance. She had lived in this house since childhood.
on on avait habité On avait habité dans ce quartier avant de déménager. One had lived in this neighborhood before moving.
nous nous avions habité Nous avions habité dans cette ville pendant dix ans. We had lived in this city for ten years.
vous vous aviez habité Vous aviez habité dans cette région il y a quelques années. You had lived in this region a few years ago.
ils ils avaient habité Ils avaient habité dans cette maison avant de la vendre. They had lived in this house before selling it.
elles elles avaient habité Elles avaient habité ensemble pendant des années. They had lived together for years.

Other Conjugations for Habiter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb habiter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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