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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb billebauder

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The English translation of the French verb billebauder is “to wander aimlessly.” In its infinitive form, it is pronounced as “bee-yuh-bow-dair.”

The word billebauder comes from the combination of two words: “bille,” which means “ball” or “marble,” and “bauder,” which means “to walk.” It is primarily used in colloquial French and has a playful tone to it.

In everyday French, billebauder is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that had already been completed before another past action or time reference.

Here are three simple examples of billebauder in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais billebaudé dans le parc avant de rentrer chez moi. (I had wandered aimlessly in the park before going home.)
  2. Tu avais billebaudé pendant des heures avant de trouver ton chemin. (You had wandered aimlessly for hours before finding your way.)
  3. Ils avaient billebaudé toute la journée sans trouver quelque chose d’intéressant. (They had wandered aimlessly all day without finding anything interesting.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais billebaudé J’avais billebaudé toute la journée. I had wandered all day.
tu tu avais billebaudé Tu avais billebaudé en ville. You had wandered in the city.
il il avait billebaudé Il avait billebaudé dans le parc. He had wandered in the park.
elle elle avait billebaudé Elle avait billebaudé sur la plage. She had wandered on the beach.
on on avait billebaudé On avait billebaudé dans les rues. One had wandered in the streets.
nous nous avions billebaudé Nous avions billebaudé dans les jardins. We had wandered in the gardens.
vous vous aviez billebaudé Vous aviez billebaudé en montagne. You had wandered in the mountains.
ils ils avaient billebaudé Ils avaient billebaudé à la campagne. They had wandered in the countryside.
elles elles avaient billebaudé Elles avaient billebaudé en forêt. They had wandered in the forest.

Other Conjugations for Billebauder.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb billebauder
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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