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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb louper

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The English translation of the French verb louper is “to miss” or “to fail.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “loo-pay.”

The word “louper” comes from the Latin word “lupus,” meaning “wolf.” It was originally used in hunting to describe when a wolf “missed” its prey. In modern French, “louper” is most often used in its colloquial form to mean “to miss” or “to fail” in a variety of contexts.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, “louper” is used to describe a past action that was not completed or a missed opportunity.

  1. J’avais loupé mon train hier soir. (I had missed my train last night.)
  2. Nous avions loupé l’occasion de visiter le musée. (We had missed the opportunity to visit the museum.)
  3. Tu avais loupé une belle opportunité de carrière. (You had missed a great career opportunity.)

In these examples, “louper” is used to describe missed actions in the past, which were not completed or achieved. The English translations reflect this meaning by using the past tense of “to miss” or “to fail.”

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais loupé J’avais loupé ma chance. I had missed my chance.
tu tu avais loupé Tu avais loupé ton vol. You had missed your flight.
il il avait loupé Il avait loupé l’examen. He had failed the exam.
elle elle avait loupé Elle avait loupé le train. She had missed the train.
on on avait loupé On avait loupé notre rendez-vous. One had missed our appointment.
nous nous avions loupé Nous avions loupé le début du film. We had missed the beginning of the movie.
vous vous aviez loupé Vous aviez loupé vos bagages. You had missed your luggage.
ils ils avaient loupé Ils avaient loupé leur bus. They had missed their bus.
elles elles avaient loupé Elles avaient loupé leur chance. They had missed their chance.

Other Conjugations for Louper.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb louper
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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