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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb exciter

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The English translation of the French verb exciter is “to excite.” It is pronounced as “eks-ee-teh” in its infinitive form.

The word exciter comes from the Latin word “excitare,” which means “to rouse, to awaken.” In French, it is most often used in everyday language to describe the action of stirring up emotions, causing excitement or stimulating someone or something.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, exciter is used to describe an action that had been taking place in the past before another past event. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais excité mon chien avant de partir travailler. (I had excited my dog before leaving for work.)
  2. Vous aviez excité la foule avec votre discours. (You had excited the crowd with your speech.)
  3. Ils avaient excité les enfants en leur racontant une histoire. (They had excited the children by telling them a story.)

In these examples, the action of exciting took place before a specific event in the past, such as leaving for work, giving a speech, or telling a story. The Plus-que-parfait tense is commonly used in French to describe actions that had been completed before another event in the past.

In everyday French, exciter is often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to talk about past events that caused excitement or arousal. It can also be used to express regret or to describe a situation that could have been different if a certain action had been taken.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais excité J’avais excité mon chien. I had excited my dog.
tu tu avais excité Tu avais excité ta soeur. You had excited your sister.
il il avait excité Il avait excité le public. He had excited the audience.
elle elle avait excité Elle avait excité les enfants. She had excited the children.
on on avait excité On avait excité les chiens. One had excited the dogs.
nous nous avions excité Nous avions excité nos amis. We had excited our friends.
vous vous aviez excité Vous aviez excité les spectateurs. You had excited the spectators.
ils ils avaient excité Ils avaient excité les supporters. They had excited the fans.
elles elles avaient excité Elles avaient excité les étudiants. They had excited the students.

Other Conjugations for Exciter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exciter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Exciter – 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 exciter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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