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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cambuter

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of cambuter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb cambuter is “to mess around” or “to fiddle with.” The infinitive form, cambuter, is pronounced as “kahn-byoo-tay.”

The word cambuter is believed to be derived from the word “cambouis,” meaning “grease” or “grime,” which originated from the Latin word “campania,” meaning “open country.” In everyday French, cambuter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that occurred before another action in the past.

Here are three examples of how cambuter is used in the Plus-que-parfait tense in everyday French:

  1. J’avais cambuté avec le moteur pendant des heures avant de trouver le problème. (I had messed around with the engine for hours before finding the problem.)

  2. Tu avais cambuté avec les réglages de la télécommande et maintenant elle ne fonctionne plus. (You had fiddled with the remote control settings and now it doesn’t work anymore.)

  3. Elle avait cambuté avec les boutons de la machine à laver et maintenant les vêtements sont tous mélangés. (She had messed around with the buttons on the washing machine and now the clothes are all mixed up.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais cambuté J’avais cambuté ma voiture. I had fixed my car.
tu tu avais cambuté Tu avais cambuté ton ordinateur. You had fixed your computer.
il il avait cambuté Il avait cambuté sa moto. He had fixed his motorcycle.
elle elle avait cambuté Elle avait cambuté son vélo. She had fixed her bike.
on on avait cambuté On avait cambuté le robinet. One had fixed the faucet.
nous nous avions cambuté Nous avions cambuté la télévision. We had fixed the TV.
vous vous aviez cambuté Vous aviez cambuté la porte. You had fixed the door.
ils ils avaient cambuté Ils avaient cambuté la lampe. They had fixed the lamp.
elles elles avaient cambuté Elles avaient cambuté leur téléphone. They had fixed their phone.

Other Conjugations for Cambuter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cambuter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the cambuter Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply