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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb inciter

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of inciter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb inciter is “to incite” or “to urge.” The infinitive form, inciter, is pronounced as “ahn-see-tay.”

The word inciter comes from the Latin word incitare, which means “to set in motion” or “to urge on.” It first appeared in French in the 13th century.

In everyday French, inciter is often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense used to describe an action that occurred before another past action. It is formed with the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Imparfait tense and the past participle of the verb.

Here are 3 simple examples of inciter in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais incité mes amis à participer à la manifestation. (I had urged my friends to participate in the protest.)
  2. Elle avait incité son frère à tricher pendant l’examen. (She had incited her brother to cheat during the exam.)
  3. Nous étions incités à rester à la maison à cause de la pluie. (We had been urged to stay home because of the rain.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais incité J’avais incité mon frère à étudier. I had encouraged my brother to study.
tu tu avais incité Tu avais incité tes amis à venir. You had encouraged your friends to come.
il il avait incité Il avait incité son équipe à gagner. He had motivated his team to win.
elle elle avait incité Elle avait incité ses enfants à jouer dehors. She had urged her children to play outside.
on on avait incité On avait incité les employés à travailler plus. One had encouraged the employees to work more.
nous nous avions incité Nous avions incité nos voisins à recycler. We had persuaded our neighbors to recycle.
vous vous aviez incité Vous aviez incité les étudiants à participer. You had motivated the students to participate.
ils ils avaient incité Ils avaient incité les manifestants à se calmer. They had urged the protesters to calm down.
elles elles avaient incité Elles avaient incité leurs enfants à manger sainement. They had encouraged their children to eat healthily.

Other Conjugations for Inciter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb inciter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    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 inciter Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts