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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bouturer

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The English translation of the French verb bouturer is “to propagate/to take cuttings.” It is pronounced as “boo-tuh-reh” in its infinitive form.

The language origin of bouturer comes from the Old French word “bouter” meaning “to push” or “to place.” In modern French, it is most commonly used in gardening and horticulture to refer to the act of taking a cutting from a plant and replanting it to create a new plant.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Plus-que-parfait tense (past perfect tense) with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais bouturé cette branche de rosier pour en faire un nouveau rosier. (I had propagated this branch of rose to make a new rose bush.)

  2. Tu avais bouturé ces boutures de menthe dans un pot de terre cuite. (You had taken cuttings of this mint and planted them in a terracotta pot.)

  3. Il avait bouturé les pétunias avec succès, maintenant nous avons une belle jardinière remplie de fleurs. (He had successfully propagated the petunias, now we have a beautiful planter filled with flowers.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais bouturé J’avais bouturé un morceau de la plante. I had propagated a piece of the plant.
tu tu avais bouturé Tu avais bouturé les tiges dans l’eau. You had propagated the stems in water.
il il avait bouturé Il avait bouturé la branche dans la terre. He had propagated the branch in soil.
elle elle avait bouturé Elle avait bouturé une feuille de la plante. She had propagated a leaf of the plant.
on on avait bouturé On avait bouturé les racines dans un pot. One had propagated the roots in a pot.
nous nous avions bouturé Nous avions bouturé plusieurs boutures. We had propagated several cuttings.
vous vous aviez bouturé Vous aviez bouturé les plantes dans le jardin. You had propagated the plants in the garden.
ils ils avaient bouturé Ils avaient bouturé les branches de l’arbre. They had propagated the tree branches.
elles elles avaient bouturé Elles avaient bouturé les fleurs de la plante. They had propagated the plant’s flowers.

Other Conjugations for Bouturer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bouturer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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