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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb payer

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of payer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb payer is “to pay.” It is pronounced “pey-eh” in its infinitive form.

The word payer comes from the Latin word “pacare,” meaning to pacify or appease. It was later adapted into Old French as “paier” before eventually becoming “payer” in modern French.

In everyday French, payer is most commonly used to talk about making a payment or settling a debt. It is also often used to express the act of paying for something, such as a bill or a purchase.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, payer is used to talk about an action that had been completed in the past before another past action. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais déjà payé l’addition quand il est arrivé. (I had already paid the bill when he arrived.)

  2. Ils avaient payé leur loyer avant la fin du mois. (They had paid their rent before the end of the month.)

  3. Elle avait déjà payé ses dettes avant de déménager. (She had already paid her debts before moving out.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais payé J’avais payé la facture. I had paid the bill.
tu tu avais payé Tu avais payé l’addition. You had paid the check.
il il avait payé Il avait payé le loyer. He had paid the rent.
elle elle avait payé Elle avait payé la commande. She had paid the order.
on on avait payé On avait payé les dettes. One had paid the debts.
nous nous avions payé Nous avions payé les frais. We had paid the fees.
vous vous aviez payé Vous aviez payé la caution. You had paid the deposit.
ils ils avaient payé Ils avaient payé les impôts. They had paid the taxes.
elles elles avaient payé Elles avaient payé la note. They had paid the bill.

Other Conjugations for Payer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb payer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the payer Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts