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

Introduction to the verb hercher

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The English translation of the French verb hercher is “to search” or “to look for”. It is pronounced “ehr-shay” in its infinitive form.

The word hercher comes from the Old French verb “herchier”, which meant “to search for game”. Over time, the meaning evolved to include the general sense of searching or looking for something. In everyday French, hercher is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English.

Here are three simple examples of how hercher is used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais herché mes clés partout avant de réaliser qu’elles étaient dans ma poche.
    Translation: I had searched for my keys everywhere before realizing they were in my pocket.

  2. Il avait herché sur internet pour trouver les meilleurs prix pour ses vacances.
    Translation: He had searched on the internet to find the best prices for his vacation.

  3. Nous avions herché pendant des heures avant de trouver la solution à notre problème.
    Translation: We had searched for hours before finding the solution to our problem.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais cherché J’avais cherché mes clés. I had looked for my keys.
tu tu avais cherché Tu avais cherché ton sac à dos. You had looked for your backpack.
il il avait cherché Il avait cherché ses lunettes. He had looked for his glasses.
elle elle avait cherché Elle avait cherché son téléphone. She had looked for her phone.
on on avait cherché On avait cherché les clés de la voiture. One had looked for the car keys.
nous nous avions cherché Nous avions cherché nos passeports. We had looked for our passports.
vous vous aviez cherché Vous aviez cherché vos billets. You had looked for your tickets.
ils ils avaient cherché Ils avaient cherché leur chien. They had looked for their dog.
elles elles avaient cherché Elles avaient cherché leur chat. They had looked for their cat.

Other Conjugations for Hercher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb hercher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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