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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb inviter

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The English translation of the French verb inviter is “to invite”. It is pronounced as “ahn-vee-teh” in the infinitive form.

The word inviter comes from the Latin word “invitare”, meaning “to invite”. It is a regular -ER verb and is used in everyday French to invite someone to an event or gathering.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, inviter is used to talk about an invitation that had already happened in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle “invité”. For example:

  1. J’avais invité mes amis à dîner hier soir. (I had invited my friends for dinner last night.)
  2. Nous avions déjà invité les voisins à notre fête avant de partir en vacances. (We had already invited the neighbors to our party before leaving for vacation.)
  3. Ils avaient été invités à la cérémonie de mariage par leurs amis. (They had been invited to the wedding ceremony by their friends.)

Some other ways to use inviter in everyday French are:

  1. Je vais inviter mes collègues pour célébrer notre réussite. (I am going to invite my colleagues to celebrate our success.)
  2. Tu peux m’inviter à ta soirée d’anniversaire ? (Can you invite me to your birthday party?)
  3. On a invité la famille pour le réveillon de Noël. (We invited the family for Christmas Eve dinner.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais invité J’avais invité mon ami. I had invited my friend.
tu tu avais invité Tu avais invité tes parents. You had invited your parents.
il il avait invité Il avait invité ses collègues. He had invited his colleagues.
elle elle avait invité Elle avait invité sa famille. She had invited her family.
on on avait invité On avait invité des amis. One had invited some friends.
nous nous avions invité Nous avions invité nos voisins. We had invited our neighbors.
vous vous aviez invité Vous aviez invité vos amis. You had invited your friends.
ils ils avaient invité Ils avaient invité leurs voisins. They had invited their neighbors.
elles elles avaient invité Elles avaient invité leurs amis. They had invited their friends.

Other Conjugations for Inviter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb inviter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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