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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb photographier

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of photographier. 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 photographier is “to photograph”. It is pronounced “fo-toe-gra-fee-ay”.

Photographier comes from the French word “photographie”, which in turn comes from the Greek words “phos” (light) and “graphos” (writing). It was first used in French in the mid-19th century.

In everyday French, photographier is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about an action that was completed before another past action.

Example 1: J’avais déjà photographié ce monument avant de partir en vacances. (I had already photographed this monument before leaving for vacation.)

Example 2: Tu avais photographié ces fleurs avant qu’elles ne fanent. (You had photographed these flowers before they wilted.)

Example 3: Ils avaient photographié toute la famille avant de les envoyer aux grands-parents. (They had photographed the whole family before sending them to the grandparents.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais photographié J’avais photographié le coucher de soleil. I had photographed the sunset.
tu tu avais photographié Tu avais photographié tes amis. You had photographed your friends.
il il avait photographié Il avait photographié la nature. He had photographed nature.
elle elle avait photographié Elle avait photographié son chat. She had photographed her cat.
on on avait photographié On avait photographié la ville. One had photographed the city.
nous nous avions photographié Nous avions photographié la fête. We had photographed the party.
vous vous aviez photographié Vous aviez photographié le paysage. You had photographed the landscape.
ils ils avaient photographié Ils avaient photographié leur famille. They had photographed their family.
elles elles avaient photographié Elles avaient photographié leur chien. They had photographed their dog.

Other Conjugations for Photographier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb photographier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    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 photographier Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts