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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb carburer

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The English translation of the French verb carburer is “to function/run well” or “to operate smoothly.” It is pronounced as “kar-byuh-ray” in its infinitive form.

The word “carburer” comes from the French word “carburant,” meaning fuel. It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais bien carburé pendant la course. (I had functioned well during the race.)

  2. Tu avais carburé toute la nuit pour finir ton projet. (You had operated smoothly all night to finish your project.)

  3. Ils avaient carburé toute la journée pour préparer le dîner. (They had run smoothly all day to prepare dinner.)

English translations: 1. I had functioned well during the race.

  1. You had operated smoothly all night to finish your project.
  2. They had run smoothly all day to prepare dinner.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais carbure J’avais carburé toute la nuit. I had been going all night.
tu tu avais carbure Tu avais carbure sans pause. You had been going non-stop.
il il avait carbure Il avait carbure pendant des heures. He had been going for hours.
elle elle avait carbure Elle avait carbure sans relâche. She had been going tirelessly.
on on avait carbure On avait carbure toute la journée. One had been going all day.
nous nous avions carbure Nous avions carbure la semaine dernière. We had been going last week.
vous vous aviez carbure Vous aviez carbure depuis des mois. You had been going for months.
ils ils avaient carbure Ils avaient carbure jusqu’à l’aube. They had been going until dawn.
elles elles avaient carbure Elles avaient carbure depuis longtemps. They had been going for a long time.

Other Conjugations for Carburer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb carburer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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