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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb noter

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The English translation of the French verb noter is “to note” or “to take note.” The infinitive form is pronounced “no-ter” in French.

The word noter comes from the Latin word “notare,” which means “to mark.” It is a regular -ER verb in French and is used in everyday language in various tenses and forms.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, noter is used to express an action that had been completed before another past action.

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

  1. J’avais noté les rendez-vous dans mon agenda. (I had noted the appointments in my agenda.)

  2. Tu avais noté les ingrédients pour la recette? (Had you noted down the ingredients for the recipe?)

  3. Elle avait déjà noté toutes les erreurs dans son devoir. (She had already noted all the mistakes in her homework.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais noté J’avais noté la date dans mon agenda. I had noted the date in my agenda.
tu tu avais noté Tu avais noté les instructions. You had noted the instructions.
il il avait noté Il avait noté l’adresse sur un bout de papier. He had noted the address on a piece of paper.
elle elle avait noté Elle avait noté le numéro de téléphone. She had noted the phone number.
on on avait noté On avait noté le nom du restaurant. One had noted the name of the restaurant.
nous nous avions noté Nous avions noté les horaires des trains. We had noted the train schedules.
vous vous aviez noté Vous aviez noté l’heure de la réunion. You had noted the time of the meeting.
ils ils avaient noté Ils avaient noté les erreurs dans le rapport. They had noted the mistakes in the report.
elles elles avaient noté Elles avaient noté les changements dans le plan. They had noted the changes in the plan.

Other Conjugations for Noter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb noter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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