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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb passer

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The English translation of the French verb passer is “to pass” or “to go through.” The infinitive form of passer is pronounced as “pah-say.”

Passer comes from the Latin word “passare,” meaning “to pass, step, or go through.” It is a regular -er verb in French and is commonly used in everyday language.

In the plus-que-parfait tense, passer is used to indicate an action that had been completed before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the imperfect tense followed by the past participle of passer.

Here are three examples of passer in the plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais passé l’examen avant de trouver un emploi. (I had taken the exam before finding a job.)
  2. Elle était passée chez moi avant de partir en vacances. (She had stopped by my place before leaving for vacation.)
  3. Ils étaient passés par le parc pour rejoindre le musée. (They had gone through the park to reach the museum.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’étais passé(e) J’étais passé(e) devant chez toi. I had passed by your place.
tu tu étais passé(e) Tu étais passé(e) au supermarché. You had gone to the supermarket.
il il était passé Il était passé au bureau. He had gone to the office.
elle elle était passée Elle était passée à la banque. She had gone to the bank.
on on était passé On était passé chez nos amis. One had gone to our friends’ house.
nous nous étions passés Nous étions passés à la gare. We had gone to the train station.
vous vous étiez passés Vous étiez passés à la fête. You had gone to the party.
ils ils étaient passés Ils étaient passés au cinéma. They had gone to the movie theater.
elles elles étaient passées Elles étaient passées au parc. They had gone to the park.

Other Conjugations for Passer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb passer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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