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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb presser

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The English translation of the French verb presser is “to press” or “to squeeze.” The infinitive form, presser, is pronounced as “preh-say.”

Presser comes from the Old French word “pressier” which originally meant “to squeeze” or “to compress.” It is derived from the Latin word “pressare” which has the same meaning.

In everyday French, presser is 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 was completed before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense (avais/avait/avions/avaient) followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three examples of presser in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais pressé le citron avant de l’ajouter à la pâte. (I had squeezed the lemon before adding it to the batter.)
  2. Tu avais pressé le bouton trop fort et il s’est cassé. (You had pressed the button too hard and it broke.)
  3. Ils avaient pressé leurs vêtements avant de les mettre dans la valise. (They had pressed their clothes before putting them in the suitcase.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais pressé J’avais pressé le citron. I had pressed the lemon.
tu tu avais pressé Tu avais pressé le bouton. You had pressed the button.
il il avait pressé Il avait pressé le bouton. He had pressed the button.
elle elle avait pressé Elle avait pressé le tube. She had pressed the tube.
on on avait pressé On avait pressé la gâchette. One had pressed the trigger.
nous nous avions pressé Nous avions pressé l’orange. We had pressed the orange.
vous vous aviez pressé Vous aviez pressé le citron. You had pressed the lemon.
ils ils avaient pressé Ils avaient pressé le jus. They had pressed the juice.
elles elles avaient pressé Elles avaient pressé le tube. They had pressed the tube.

Other Conjugations for Presser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb presser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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