Pluperfect tenses (pluperfect and past anterior)

u both the pluperfect and the past anterior are equivalent to English I had done or I had been doing;

u both indicate an actionor state in the past (action or state A), in relation to another action or state in the more recent past (action or state B).

1. The pluperfect

uThe pluperfect (= imperfect of avoir / être + past participle, e.g. j'avais acheté) is used more precisely in French than in English.

u English frequently uses the simple past where strict logic requires the pluperfect (i.e. when action A is or has to be completed before action B takes place).

Two minutes after we left him (A), he was seen crossing the main square (B)
She set to work (B) as soon as she got home (A)

u French is more logical, and indicates the exact temporal relationship between actions in the use of tenses.

Deux minutes après que nous l'avions quitté, on l'a vu traverser la place principale
Elle s'est mise au travail dès qu'elle était rentrée

In sentences of this type, the pluperfect must be used in French for action A if it is completed before action B.

2. The past anterior

u is made up of the past historic of avoir / être + past participle e.g. je fus rentré(e);

u is a feature of formal / literary written French;

u is only used in conjunction with the past historic;

u is used instead of the pluperfect in temporal clauses, when the main verb is in the past historic:

Quand il eut quitté ses amis, il traversa la place principale
Elle se mit au travail dès qu'elle fut rentrée

u is used in main clauses to express suddenness or speed, when the main narrative is in the past historic. It is often used after à peine:

A peine fut-il sorti que l'orage éclata
(He had hardly gone out when the storm broke)

and in the expression avoir vite fait de:

Il rentra en hâte. Il eut vite fait de préparer son dîner. Il le mangea rapidement
(He returned home in a hurry. He had soon made/ it did not take him long to make his dinner. He ate it rapidly).