The story moves forward on the black dots. The blue band is what was going on around them. The red dot is something that had already happened before the story begins.
The plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) is English “had done”. It is built exactly like the passé composé, with the helper verb in the imperfect instead of the present: j’ai mangé (I ate) becomes j’avais mangé (I had eaten). The same verbs take être, with the same agreement.
English often drops “had” (“I forgot my keys when I came home”); French keeps the plus-que-parfait whenever one past event comes before another.
With avoir · manger
With être · partir
Choosing the tense: three questions
For each verb in a past story, ask these questions in order. The first “yes” gives you the tense.
1
Had it already happened before the moment in the story?Yes → plus-que-parfait. Look for déjà (already) and avant (before).
2
Is it a finished event that moves the story on?Yes → passé composé. One action, with a beginning and an end.
3
Is it background, description, a habit, or ongoing?Yes → imparfait. Weather, feelings, age, time, what used to happen.
One verb, three meanings
Changing the tense changes what you are saying. Each row uses the same verb in all three past tenses.
Verb
Passé composé
Imparfait
Plus-que-parfait
savoir
connaître
vouloir
pouvoir
Words that organise a story
These time expressions tell the reader how events relate. Each tends to go with one tense.
A story in three tenses: the lost keys
Each line is tagged with the tense it uses. Every word has its English meaning underneath.
eel pluh-VAY ay eel fuh-ZAY FRWA“It was raining and it was cold.”
Earlier past · plus-que-parfait
J’Iavaishadoubliéforgottenmes clés.my keys
zha-VAY oo-blee-YAY may KLAY“I had forgotten my keys.”
Event · passé composé
J’Iai sonnéhave rungchez Marc.at Marc’s
zhay so-NAY shay MARK“I rang Marc’s bell.”
Event · passé composé
Ilhem’a ouvertme-has openedla porte.the door
eel ma oo-VAIR la PORT“He opened the door for me.”
One evening, three tenses
Read the four lines in order. Blue verbs are the tense being shown on each line: imparfait for the scene, passé composé for the events, plus-que-parfait for what had happened before.