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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb raconter

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The English translation of the French verb raconter is “to tell” or “to narrate.” It is pronounced as “rah-kohn-tay.”

The language origin of raconter comes from the Old French word “raconter” which means “to count, tell, or relate.” It is derived from the Latin word “reconter” which means “to count again” or “to tell again.”

In everyday French, raconter 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 happened before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of the verb.

Here are three simple examples of raconter in the Plus-que-parfait tense and their English translations:

  1. J’avais raconté mon histoire avant qu’il n’arrive. (I had told my story before he arrived.)
  2. Elle m’avait raconté ses vacances en Grèce. (She had told me about her vacation in Greece.)
  3. Nous étions fatigués car nous avions raconté des histoires toute la nuit. (We were tired because we had told stories all night.)

In these examples, raconter is used to talk about a past action that happened before another past action. It is often used in storytelling or to recount past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais raconté J’avais raconté une histoire. I had told a story.
tu tu avais raconté Tu avais raconté un secret. You had told a secret.
il il avait raconté Il avait raconté une blague. He had told a joke.
elle elle avait raconté Elle avait raconté une anecdote. She had told an anecdote.
on on avait raconté On avait raconté un mensonge. One had told a lie.
nous nous avions raconté Nous avions raconté nos vacances. We had told about our vacation.
vous vous aviez raconté Vous aviez raconté une histoire. You had told a story.
ils ils avaient raconté Ils avaient raconté une légende. They had told a legend.
elles elles avaient raconté Elles avaient raconté une rumeur. They had told a rumor.

Other Conjugations for Raconter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb raconter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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