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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb protéger

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The English translation of the French verb protéger is “to protect.” The infinitive form is pronounced as proh-tay-zhay.

The origin of the word protéger can be traced back to the Latin word “protegere,” which also means “to protect.” It is most commonly used in day-to-day French in the plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

Some examples of its usage in this tense include:

  1. J’avais protégé mes enfants avant qu’ils ne sortent dehors. (I had protected my children before they went outside.)

  2. Il avait protégé son village pendant la guerre. (He had protected his village during the war.)

  3. Elle avait protégé ses plantes du froid en les couvrant d’une bâche. (She had protected her plants from the cold by covering them with a tarp.)

In each of these examples, the verb protéger is conjugated in the plus-que-parfait tense, with the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) in the past tense and the past participle “protégé.” This tense is used to talk about an action that was completed before another action in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais protégé J’avais protégé mon frère. I had protected my brother.
tu tu avais protégé Tu avais protégé ta famille. You had protected your family.
il il avait protégé Il avait protégé son pays. He had protected his country.
elle elle avait protégé Elle avait protégé son secret. She had protected her secret.
on on avait protégé On avait protégé l’environnement. One had protected the environment.
nous nous avions protégé Nous avions protégé nos amis. We had protected our friends.
vous vous aviez protégé Vous aviez protégé vos biens. You had protected your belongings.
ils ils avaient protégé Ils avaient protégé leur communauté. They had protected their community.
elles elles avaient protégé Elles avaient protégé leur territoire. They had protected their territory.

Other Conjugations for Protéger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb protéger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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