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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb percher

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The English translation of the French verb percher is “to perch.” It is pronounced as “pehr-shay.”

Percher comes from the Latin word “perca,” meaning “bird of prey.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that occurred before another past action.

Here are three examples of percher being used in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais perché le chat sur l’arbre avant que la tempête ne commence. (I had perched the cat on the tree before the storm started.)
  2. Tu avais perché ta tasse sur le bord de la table avant de te lever. (You had perched your cup on the edge of the table before getting up.)
  3. Ils avaient perché leurs tentes au sommet de la montagne avant la tombée de la nuit. (They had perched their tents at the top of the mountain before nightfall.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais perché J’avais perché l’oiseau sur ma main. I had perched the bird on my hand.
tu tu avais perché Tu avais perché ta casquette sur ta tête. You had perched your cap on your head.
il il avait perché Il avait perché le chat sur l’arbre. He had perched the cat on the tree.
elle elle avait perché Elle avait perché le chapeau sur sa tête. She had perched the hat on her head.
on on avait perché On avait perché le drone sur le toit. One had perched the drone on the roof.
nous nous avions perché Nous avions perché la tente sur le rocher. We had perched the tent on the rock.
vous vous aviez perché Vous aviez perché les vêtements sur le cintre. You had perched the clothes on the hanger.
ils ils avaient perché Ils avaient perché les oiseaux sur le fil électrique. They had perched the birds on the power line.
elles elles avaient perché Elles avaient perché les fleurs sur la branche. They had perched the flowers on the branch.

Other Conjugations for Percher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb percher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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