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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb prédéterminer

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The English translation of the French verb prédéterminer is “to predetermine” or “to predestine.” It is pronounced “pray-day-tair-mee-nay.”

The language origin of prédéterminer can be broken down into two parts: “pré,” which means “before” and “déterminer,” which means “to determine.” Therefore, prédéterminer literally means “to determine beforehand.”

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

Here are three simple examples of prédéterminer used in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais déjà prédéterminé mon avenir avant de rencontrer ma femme. (I had already predetermined my future before meeting my wife.)
  2. Nous avions prédéterminé le menu avant que nos invités n’arrivent. (We had predetermined the menu before our guests arrived.)
  3. Tu avais prédéterminé les règles du jeu sans nous en informer. (You had predetermined the rules of the game without informing us.)

In all of these examples, prédéterminer is used to talk about an action that was completed before a specific past event. In the first example, the speaker had already predetermined their future before meeting their wife. In the second example, the menu was predetermined before the arrival of the guests. And in the third example, the rules of the game were predetermined without informing the others.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais prédéterminé J’avais prédéterminé mes choix. I had predetermined my choices.
tu tu avais prédéterminé Tu avais prédéterminé ton avenir. You had predetermined your future.
il il avait prédéterminé Il avait prédéterminé sa carrière. He had predetermined his career.
elle elle avait prédéterminé Elle avait prédéterminé sa destination. She had predetermined her destination.
on on avait prédéterminé On avait prédéterminé le résultat. One had predetermined the result.
nous nous avions prédéterminé Nous avions prédéterminé notre itinéraire. We had predetermined our itinerary.
vous vous aviez prédéterminé Vous aviez prédéterminé vos objectifs. You had predetermined your goals.
ils ils avaient prédéterminé Ils avaient prédéterminé leur stratégie. They had predetermined their strategy.
elles elles avaient prédéterminé Elles avaient prédéterminé leur choix. They had predetermined their choices.

Other Conjugations for Prédéterminer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb prédéterminer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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