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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb relever

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The English translation of the French verb relever is “to raise” or “to pick up.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ruh-leh-vay.”

The word relever comes from the Latin verb “relevare” which means “to lift up” or “to raise.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has since evolved to have various meanings such as “to pick up,” “to take note of,” “to stand up,” or “to recover.” It is a regular -er verb in French, meaning that it follows the same conjugation pattern as other verbs ending in -er.

In everyday French, relever is often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses actions that were completed in the past before another past action. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of relever.

Here are three examples of relever in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais relevé mes cheveux avant d’aller au travail. (I had put my hair up before going to work.)
  2. Elle était déjà relevée quand je suis arrivé chez elle. (She had already gotten up when I arrived at her house.)
  3. Nous avions relevé toutes les erreurs avant de rendre le rapport. (We had corrected all the mistakes before handing in the report.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais relevé J’avais relevé le défi. I had taken up the challenge.
tu tu avais relevé Tu avais relevé le défi. You had taken up the challenge.
il il avait relevé Il avait relevé la tâche. He had completed the task.
elle elle avait relevé Elle avait relevé le défi. She had taken up the challenge.
on on avait relevé On avait relevé le défi. One had taken up the challenge.
nous nous avions relevé Nous avions relevé le défi. We had taken up the challenge.
vous vous aviez relevé Vous aviez relevé le défi. You had taken up the challenge.
ils ils avaient relevé Ils avaient relevé le défi. They had taken up the challenge.
elles elles avaient relevé Elles avaient relevé le défi. They had taken up the challenge.

Other Conjugations for Relever.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb relever
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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