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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb courbaturer

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The English translation of the French verb courbaturer is “to feel sore” or “to have muscle aches.” The infinitive form is pronounced koor-bah-tyoo-ray.

Courbaturer comes from the word “courbature” which means “stiffness” or “soreness,” and the suffix “-er” which is added to verbs to indicate the action of the verb. It is most often used in everyday French to describe the feeling of soreness or stiffness in the muscles after physical activity or exercise.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, courbaturer is conjugated as “avais courbaturé” for the singular form and “avions courbaturé” for the plural form. Some examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’avais courbaturé après avoir couru un marathon. (I had felt sore after running a marathon.)
  2. Elle avait courbaturé ses muscles après avoir fait du sport toute la journée. (She had sore muscles after doing sports all day.)
  3. Nous avions courbaturé nos jambes après avoir marché pendant des heures. (We had sore legs after walking for hours.)

In these examples, the verb courbaturer is used to describe the feeling of soreness in the past, emphasizing that the soreness had already been present before a specific point or action in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais courbaturé J’avais courbaturé mes muscles. I had sore muscles.
tu tu avais courbaturé Tu avais courbaturé ton dos. You had a sore back.
il il avait courbaturé Il avait courbaturé ses jambes. He had sore legs.
elle elle avait courbaturé Elle avait courbaturé ses bras. She had sore arms.
on on avait courbaturé On avait courbaturé son corps. One had a sore body.
nous nous avions courbaturé Nous avions courbaturé nos muscles. We had sore muscles.
vous vous aviez courbaturé Vous aviez courbaturé vos épaules. You had sore shoulders.
ils ils avaient courbaturé Ils avaient courbaturé leurs pieds. They had sore feet.
elles elles avaient courbaturé Elles avaient courbaturé leurs mains. They had sore hands.

Other Conjugations for Courbaturer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb courbaturer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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