Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Introduction to the verb imiter
The English translation of the French verb imiter is “to imitate.” It is pronounced “ee-mee-teh” in its infinitive form.
The word “imiter” comes from the Latin word “imitari,” meaning “to copy or imitate.” It entered the French language in the 13th century and has been used in various contexts ever since.
In everyday French, “imiter” is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action. Here are three simple examples of its usage:
- J’avais imité son accent avant qu’il ne remarque quoi que ce soit. (I had imitated his accent before he noticed anything.)
- Nous avions imité les mouvements du maître de danse quand la musique s’est arrêtée. (We had imitated the dance teacher’s moves when the music stopped.)
- Ils avaient imité les paroles de la chanson depuis des années avant de comprendre leur véritable signification. (They had imitated the lyrics of the song for years before understanding their true meaning.)
In all of these examples, the action of imitating was completed before another past action, indicated by the use of “avoir” in the Plus-que-parfait tense. In English, this tense is often translated using “had” + past participle.
Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of imiter
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | j’avais imité | J’avais imité son style. | I had imitated his style. |
tu | tu avais imité | Tu avais imité son accent. | You had imitated his accent. |
il | il avait imité | Il avait imité sa voix. | He had imitated her voice. |
elle | elle avait imité | Elle avait imité son geste. | She had imitated his gesture. |
on | on avait imité | On avait imité sa danse. | One had imitated her dance. |
nous | nous avions imité | Nous avions imité sa recette. | We had imitated her recipe. |
vous | vous aviez imité | Vous aviez imité son mouvement. | You had imitated his movement. |
ils | ils avaient imité | Ils avaient imité son style. | They had imitated his style. |
elles | elles avaient imité | Elles avaient imité son chant. | They had imitated her song. |
Other Conjugations for Imiter.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter (this article)
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imiter
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Imiter – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense
Tense Formation
Common everyday usage patterns
Sequencing of past events
Background information
Hypothetical or reported speech
Interactions with other tenses
Summary
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