The plus-que-parfait (the pluperfect) indicates that an action had taken place and had been completed before another past action took place. The plus-que-parfait is the compound form of the imperfect and is formed by using the imperfect of the appropriate helping verb ( avoir or être) + the past participle of the verb. Its English equivalent is “had” + past participle:

• J'avais mal à l'estomac parce que j'avais trop mangé. (I had a stomachache because I had eaten too much.)

• Il marchait avec peine parce qu'il était tombé. (He walked with difficulty because he had fallen.)

• Elle s'était préparée avant de donner sa présentation. (She had prepared herself before giving her presentation.)

Remember that the past participle must agree in number and gender with a preceding direct-object noun or pronoun:

• Voici les livres que j'avais écrits il y a longtemps. (Here are the books I had written a long time ago.)

• Cette robe? Elle l'avait achetée quand elle était à Paris. (That dress? She had bought it when she was in Paris.)

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