Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Introduction to the verb biter
The English translation of the French verb biter is “to bite.” It is pronounced “bee-tay.”
The origin of the word biter can be traced back to the Latin word “bitere,” meaning to bite or snap. In everyday French, biter is most often used in the passé antérieur tense, which is the literary equivalent of the passé composé tense. It is used to express an action that occurred before another action in the past.
Three examples of biter in the passé antérieur tense are:
- J’eus mordu la pomme avant qu’elle ne me morde. (I had bitten the apple before it bit me.)
- Tu eus mordu ton crayon pendant que tu travaillais. (You had bitten your pencil while you were working.)
- Ils eurent mordu le voleur avant qu’il ne puisse s’échapper. (They had bitten the thief before he could escape.)
In these examples, the passé antérieur tense is used to describe an action that occurred before another action in the past. It is often used in storytelling or in formal writing. The English translations reflect the chronological order of events in the past.
Table of the Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of biter
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | j’eusse bît | J’eusse bît la pomme | I had bitten the apple |
tu | tu eusses bit | Tu eusses bit la pomme | You had bitten the apple |
il | il eût bit | Il eût bit la pomme | He had bitten the apple |
elle | elle eût bit | Elle eût bit la pomme | She had bitten the apple |
on | on eût bit | On eût bit la pomme | One had bitten the apple |
nous | nous eûmes bit | Nous eûmes bit la pomme | We had bitten the apple |
vous | vous eûtes bit | Vous eûtes bit la pomme | You had bitten the apple |
ils | ils eurent bit | Ils eurent bit la pomme | They had bitten the apple |
elles | elles eurent bit | Elles eurent bit la pomme | They had bitten the apple |
Other Conjugations for Biter.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter (this article)
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biter
Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥
Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the biter Passé Antérieur tense conjugation!
Biter – About the French Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense
Formation of the Passé Antérieur
Common Usage Patterns
Literature
Historical Texts
Formal Writing
Interactions with Other Tenses
Passé Composé (Present Perfect)
Imparfait (Imperfect)
Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect)
Summary
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb biter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!