Pratique Narrative (Narrative Practice)

Learning ObjectivesUse the plus-que-parfait (pluperfect tense) [ploos-kuh-par-FAY] to describe an event that happened before another past event.Correctly form the plus-que-parfait (pluperfect tense) [ploos-kuh-par-FAY] with the helper verbs 'avoir' (to have) [ah-VWAR] and 'être' (to be) [ET-ruh].Tell the difference between using the plus-que-parfait (pluperfect tense) [ploos-kuh-par-FAY], the passé composé (perfect tense) [pa-SAY kom-po-ZAY], and the imparfait (imperfect tense) [am-par-FAY] in a story.Imagine you arrive at a birthday party 🥳. When you walk in, everyone is already laughing. Your friend tells you: "You missed the best part! The cake était tombé (had fallen) [ay-TAY tom-BAY] before you got here!" To tell this story correctly, you need the plus-que-parfait (pluperfect tense)...

TermDefinitionExamplePlus-que-parfait (Pluperfect tense) [ploos-kuh-par-FAY]A past tense that expresses an action that happened before another past action.J'avais fini (I had finished) [zhah-VAY fee-NEE] mes devoirs quand tu as téléphoné (my homework when you called).Passé composé (Perfect tense) [pa-SAY kom-po-ZAY]A past tense used for main, completed actions.J'avais fini (I had finished) mes devoirs quand tu as téléphoné (you called) [ah tay-lay-fo-NAY].Imparfait (Imperfect tense) [am-par-FAY]A past tense used for descriptions, habits, or ongoing actions in the past.Il faisait (It was) [fuh-ZAY] beau quand nous sommes sortis (nice out when we left).Antériorité (Anteriority) [ahn-tay-ree-or-ee-TAY]The fact that one event happens before another.Le plus-que-parfait (The pluperfect tense) ma...

1. How to Form the Pluperfect TenseRule: We form the plus-que-parfait (pluperfect tense) [ploos-kuh-par-FAY] with the helper verb avoir (to have) [ah-VWAR] or être (to be) [ET-ruh] in the imparfait (imperfect tense) [am-par-FAY], followed by the participe passé (past participle) [par-tee-SEEP pa-SAY] of the main verb.Structure: Subject + helper verb (imperfect) + past participleWith avoir (to have) [ah-VWAR]: J'avais mangé (I had eaten) [zhah-VAY mahn-ZHAY], tu avais vu (you had seen) [too ah-VAY voo], il avait fini (he had finished) [eel ah-VAY fee-NEE].With être (to be) [ET-ruh]: J'étais allé(e) (I had gone) [zhay-TAY ah-LAY], nous étions parti(e)s (we had left) [nooz ay-tee-OHN par-TEE], elles étaient tombées (they had fallen) [elz ay-TAY tom-BAY].Don't forget to make the past participl...