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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb buller

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The English translation of the French verb buller is “to laze” or “to idle”. It is pronounced as “buh-leh”.

The origin of the word “buller” can be traced back to the Latin word “bullire”, which means “to boil”. In Old French, it was used to describe the sound of boiling water, but over time, it came to mean to be idle or to do nothing.

In everyday French, buller is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to describe an action that had been ongoing or had already occurred in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

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

  1. J’avais bullé toute la journée au bord de la piscine. (I had been lazing by the pool all day.)
  2. Elle avait bullé pendant des heures au café. (She had idled for hours at the café.)
  3. Nous étions restés à buller devant la télé toute la soirée. (We had spent the whole evening idling in front of the TV.)

Overall, buller is commonly used in everyday French to describe a state of laziness or idleness in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais bullé J’avais bullé toute la journée. I had chilled out all day.
tu tu avais bullé Tu avais bullé pendant les vacances. You had chilled out during the vacation.
il il avait bullé Il avait bullé après le travail. He had chilled out after work.
elle elle avait bullé Elle avait bullé à la plage. She had chilled out at the beach.
on on avait bullé On avait bullé pendant la soirée. One had chilled out during the evening.
nous nous avions bullé Nous avions bullé au parc. We had chilled out at the park.
vous vous aviez bullé Vous aviez bullé à la maison. You had chilled out at home.
ils ils avaient bullé Ils avaient bullé en voyage. They had chilled out while traveling.
elles elles avaient bullé Elles avaient bullé à la montagne. They had chilled out in the mountains.

Other Conjugations for Buller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb buller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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