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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb placer

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The English translation of the French verb placer is “to place” or “to put.” The infinitive form of placer is pronounced “plah-say.”

Placer comes from the Old French word “placier,” which means “to place or arrange.” It ultimately originated from the Latin word “plicare,” meaning “to fold.” In everyday French, placer is most often used in its Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’avais placé les livres sur l’étagère. (I had placed the books on the shelf.)
  2. Tu avais placé les fleurs dans un vase. (You had put the flowers in a vase.)
  3. Ils/Elles avaient placé leurs valises dans la chambre d’hôtel. (They had placed their suitcases in the hotel room.)

Overall, placer is used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to indicate an action that was completed in the past before another past action. It is often used to talk about a specific event or action that happened before another event or action in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais placé J’avais placé la boîte sur l’étagère. I had placed the box on the shelf.
tu tu avais placé Tu avais placé les livres sur la table. You had placed the books on the table.
il il avait placé Il avait placé le vase sur la commode. He had placed the vase on the dresser.
elle elle avait placé Elle avait placé les verres dans l’armoire. She had placed the glasses in the cabinet.
on on avait placé On avait placé les chaussures dans le placard. One had placed the shoes in the closet.
nous nous avions placé Nous avions placé la tente dans le jardin. We had placed the tent in the garden.
vous vous aviez placé Vous aviez placé les assiettes sur la table. You had placed the plates on the table.
ils ils avaient placé Ils avaient placé les chaises autour de la table. They had placed the chairs around the table.
elles elles avaient placé Elles avaient placé les fleurs dans un vase. They had placed the flowers in a vase.

Other Conjugations for Placer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb placer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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