My "ah-ha" Moment!!

So last week, my tutor reviewed the plus-que-parfait that I had studied with my textbooks. And my homework was to write 10 sentences in the past tense - using the plus-que-parfait with passé composé (2 of the past tenses). This signifies an action in the past, which happened after another action - in the past - had happened.

I thought I had it figured out . . . but I had mixed it up with another sentence structure. I had the right concept, but was applying it wrong. Needless to say, most of my sentences were wrong.

After we went over it again, it started making sense. However . . .

my "ah-ha" moment:

On the way home from my study session, I was thinking through a situation from the night before in my head, I was about to use two passé composé in my sentence when the light clicked on . . . I had stumbled on the perfect situation to use my new tense. And, I figured out how to use it in normal conversation!!!!

Cause for celebration!!

So, my situation:

Last night I was inside a building talking with my friends when I saw my bus arriving before the scheduled time. So I ran for my bus, but the bus driver had already closed the doors when I got there. Although, he was nice because he allowed me to get on.

et en français:

Hier soir, j'étais à l'interieur d'un edifice en train de parler avec mes amis quand j'ai vu mon autobus qui arrivait en avance l'horaire. Donc, j'ai dû courir; mais le chauffeur avait déjà fermé les portes quand je suis arrivée. Mais il était gentil car il m'a permis d'embarquer!

And as I sit here writing this, I think I have just figured out that my clue word in English for this tense is: "had"!!

Another "ah-ha" moment!