Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb envoûter

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The English translation of the French verb envoûter is “to enchant” or “to bewitch.” It is pronounced as “ahn-voo-teh” in its infinitive form.

Envoûter comes from the Latin word “involutare,” meaning “to roll up” or “to wrap up.” In French, it was first used in the 12th century with the meaning of “to wrap up in spells” or “to cast a spell on someone.” Today, it is most commonly used in everyday French to describe the act of captivating or charming someone.

In the plus-que-parfait tense, envoûter is used to talk about a past action that was completed before another past action. It is formed by using the helping verb “avoir” in the imparfait tense, followed by the past participle “envoûté.”

Here are three examples of envoûter in the plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais envoûté la foule avec ma musique envoûtante. (I had bewitched the crowd with my enchanting music.)

  2. Tu avais envoûté ton amoureux avec ton sourire radieux. (You had enchanted your lover with your radiant smile.)

  3. Il avait envoûté toute la ville avec ses histoires mystérieuses. (He had enchanted the whole city with his mysterious stories.)

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of envoûter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais envoûté J’avais envoûté mon public. I had enchanted my audience.
tu tu avais envoûté Tu avais envoûté la princesse. You had enchanted the princess.
il il avait envoûté Il avait envoûté la ville. He had enchanted the city.
elle elle avait envoûté Elle avait envoûté le roi. She had enchanted the king.
on on avait envoûté On avait envoûté le village. One had enchanted the village.
nous nous avions envoûté Nous avions envoûté le château. We had enchanted the castle.
vous vous aviez envoûté Vous aviez envoûté la sorcière. You had enchanted the witch.
ils ils avaient envoûté Ils avaient envoûté les voyageurs. They had enchanted the travelers.
elles elles avaient envoûté Elles avaient envoûté les esprits. They had enchanted the spirits.

Other Conjugations for Envoûter.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter     (this article)

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envoûter

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Envoûter – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “être” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangé (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlé (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient joué (They had played)
2. With “être” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’étais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu étais arrivé(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on était tombé(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous étions resté(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous étiez né(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles étaient monté(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangé avant qu’il ne soit arrivé” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivé, ils avaient déjà fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passé composé (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passé composé describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi différemment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb envoûter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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