Le Plus-que-parfait in French is the direct equivalent of the Pluperfect in English. It could be described as "the past of the past":
e.g. After I had had to do my homework, I went for a walk.
Of course, English speakers are likely to make contractions: I'd had to, etc.
Look at these examples of "devoir" in the Plus-que-parfait :
J'avais dû en racheter un nouveau après que Patrick avait cassé le mien.
I'd had to buy a new one after Patrick had broken mine.
Tu avais dû le licencier finalement.
You'd had to let him go in the end.
Si elle avait dû le faire, vous auriez eu des problèmes.
If she'd had to do it, you would have been in trouble.
Nous avions dû nettoyer la maison avant que mes parents ne vissent le désordre.
We'd had to clean the house before my parents saw the mess.
Si vous aviez dû, l'auriez-vous fait?
If you'd had to, would you have done it?
Elles avaient dû repasser l'examen, après qu'elles avaient échoué les trois premières fois!
They'd had to take the exam again, after they'd failed the first three times!
Notice that the Plus-que-parfait of "devoir" follows this construction:
Verb avoir in the Imparfait + dû (past participle of devoir)
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Nous avions dû nettoyer la maison avant que mes parents ne vissent le désordre.
We'd had to clean the house before my parents saw the mess.
Elles avaient dû repasser l'examen, après qu'elles avaient échoué les trois premières fois!
They'd had to take the exam again, after they'd failed the first three times!
Si vous aviez dû, l'auriez-vous fait?
If you'd had to, would you have done it?
Tu avais dû le licencier finalement.
You'd had to let him go in the end.
J'avais dû en racheter un nouveau après que Patrick avait cassé le mien.
I'd had to buy a new one after Patrick had broken mine.
Si elle avait dû le faire, vous auriez eu des problèmes.
If she'd had to do it, you would have been in trouble.
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Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
18/10/16
It is indeed the verb "voir" in Le Subjonctif Imparfait, which is used very rarely nowadays but perfectly correct in this sentence, regarding the Sequence of tenses.
However, people would tend to use Le Subjonctif Présent nowadays, as such:
"Nous avions dû nettoyer la maison avant que mes parents ne VOIENT le désordre."
Both sentences are perfectly valid :)
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
Alan
Kwiziq community member
27 June 2017
4 replies
No-one would use " They had had to retake the exam," in written or spoken English.
One would possibly say "They'd had to retake the exam", but the simplest form "They had to retake the exam", is the commonest usage.
Gruff
Kwiziq language super star
27 June 2017
27/06/17
We do use the pluperfect form in English when referring to events further back in time than a time in the past already referred to (usually when relating a story, verbally or in writing). We try to keep the questions short and so that extra context may not be apparent here so I understand why you'd suggest "they had to" but it isn't equivalent. The example would make more sense in a wider context, and so it does feel contrived because that's missing.
E.g. consider:
"It was revealed that they had had to retake the exam."
This has a very different nuance to:
"It was revealed that they had to retake the exam."
This example is also complicated slightly by the fact the verb is "have to" and so you have the auxiliary "had" (needed to form the pluperfect) along with the past of "have to" which can get a little clunky.
Alan
Kwiziq community member
29 June 2017
29/06/17
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
29 June 2017
29/06/17
I agree that you will more commonly use "I'd had" (which is simply the contracted form of had had) or even simply "I had", though the second one is losing the anteriority contained in the use of the Pluperfect = I'd had took place before I had :)
I've now updated the example to "I'd had" :)
Merci et à bientôt !
Beverley
Kwiziq community member
2 July 2017
2/07/17