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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb alambiquer

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The English translation of the French verb alambiquer is “to complicate/to make something complicated.” It is pronounced as ah-lahm-bee-kay.

The word alambiquer comes from the word “alambique,” which means “alembic” or “distilling apparatus.” The verb alambiquer can be traced back to the late 17th century and was originally used in the context of chemistry and alchemy, referring to the intricate process of distillation. Over time, it evolved to have a more general meaning of complicating or making something complex.

In everyday French, alambiquer is often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to describe an action that was already complicated or made complex in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. J’avais alambiqué mon discours pour qu’il soit parfait, mais personne ne l’a vraiment compris. (I had complicated my speech to make it perfect, but no one really understood it.)

  2. Il avait alambiqué la recette en ajoutant des ingrédients inutiles, ce qui l’a rendue complètement ratée. (He had complicated the recipe by adding unnecessary ingredients, which made it a complete failure.)

  3. Nous avions alambiqué notre itinéraire pour visiter toutes les destinations touristiques en un seul jour, mais nous avons fini par nous perdre. (We had made our itinerary complicated to visit all the tourist destinations in one day, but we ended up getting lost.)

In all these examples, the verb alambiquer is used to indicate that the action of complicating or making something complex had already happened in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais alambiqué J’avais alambiqué le problème. I had complicated the problem.
tu tu avais alambiqué Tu avais alambiqué la solution. You had complicated the solution.
il il avait alambiqué Il avait alambiqué le mécanisme. He had complicated the mechanism.
elle elle avait alambiqué Elle avait alambiqué le discours. She had complicated the speech.
on on avait alambiqué On avait alambiqué le plan. One had complicated the plan.
nous nous avions alambiqué Nous avions alambiqué la recette. We had complicated the recipe.
vous vous aviez alambiqué Vous aviez alambiqué le débat. You had complicated the debate.
ils ils avaient alambiqué Ils avaient alambiqué le projet. They had complicated the project.
elles elles avaient alambiqué Elles avaient alambiqué la situation. They had complicated the situation.

Other Conjugations for Alambiquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb alambiquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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