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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contrebouter

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The English translation of the French verb contrebouter is “to fluster” or “to disconcert.” It can also mean “to baffle” or “to throw off balance.” The infinitive form of contrebouter is pronounced as “ko(n)-truh-bu-ter” with the emphasis on the second syllable.

The word contrebouter comes from the combination of the prefix “contre-” meaning “against” or “opposite” and the verb “bouter” meaning “to thrust” or “to push.” This reflects the meaning of the word as causing someone to feel thrown off balance or pushed against their will.

In everyday French, contrebouter is most often used in the past tense, particularly in the Plus-que-parfait tense, to describe a past action that had already been completed before another past action. It is often used in spoken language to express surprise, confusion, or frustration.

Here are three examples of contrebouter used in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Quand il a vu le résultat de l’examen, cela l’a contrebouté. (When he saw the exam result, it flustered him.)

  2. Elle avait déjà préparé tout le repas quand j’ai dit que j’allais chez mes parents, ça l’a complètement contreboutée. (She had already prepared the whole meal when I said I was going to my parents’, it completely threw her off balance.)

  3. Je me suis excusé, mais cela l’avait déjà contrebouté et elle ne voulait plus me parler. (I apologized, but she had already been flustered and didn’t want to talk to me anymore.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais contrebouté J’avais contrebouté mon professeur. I had baffled my teacher.
tu tu avais contrebouté Tu avais contrebouté ta mère. You had baffled your mother.
il il avait contrebouté Il avait contrebouté le jury. He had baffled the jury.
elle elle avait contrebouté Elle avait contrebouté son adversaire. She had baffled her opponent.
on on avait contrebouté On avait contrebouté l’audience. One had baffled the audience.
nous nous avions contrebouté Nous avions contrebouté nos ennemis. We had baffled our enemies.
vous vous aviez contrebouté Vous aviez contrebouté votre adversaire. You had baffled your opponent.
ils ils avaient contrebouté Ils avaient contrebouté leurs adversaires. They had baffled their opponents.
elles elles avaient contrebouté Elles avaient contrebouté leurs ennemies. They had baffled their enemies.

Other Conjugations for Contrebouter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrebouter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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