Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Introduction to the verb couver
The English translation of the French verb couver is “to brood” or “to incubate.” It is pronounced as “koo-vay.”
The language origin of couver can be traced back to the Latin word “cubare,” meaning “to lie down” or “to hatch.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to indicate an action that had already happened in the past before another action took place.
Examples:
- Je me souvenais que la poule avait couvé ses œufs avant que je ne les aie trouvés. (I remembered that the hen had brooded her eggs before I found them.)
- Nous étions arrivés à la ferme après que les œufs aient couvé pendant trois semaines. (We arrived at the farm after the eggs had been incubated for three weeks.)
- Les oisillons étaient nés après que la mère ait couvé ses œufs pendant plusieurs jours. (The fledglings were born after the mother had brooded her eggs for several days.)
Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of couver
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | j’avais couvé | J’avais couvé les oeufs. | I had been brooding the eggs. |
tu | tu avais couvé | Tu avais couvé les poussins. | You had been brooding the chicks. |
il | il avait couvé | Il avait couvé la couvée. | He had been brooding the brood. |
elle | elle avait couvé | Elle avait couvé les oeufs de cane. | She had been brooding the duck eggs. |
on | on avait couvé | On avait couvé les oeufs de poule. | One had been brooding the chicken eggs. |
nous | nous avions couvé | Nous avions couvé les oeufs d’oie. | We had been brooding the goose eggs. |
vous | vous aviez couvé | Vous aviez couvé les oeufs de dinde. | You had been brooding the turkey eggs. |
ils | ils avaient couvé | Ils avaient couvé les oeufs de paon. | They had been brooding the peacock eggs. |
elles | elles avaient couvé | Elles avaient couvé les oeufs de pintade. | They had been brooding the guinea fowl eggs. |
Other Conjugations for Couver.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver (this article)
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
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Couver – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense
Tense Formation
Common everyday usage patterns
Sequencing of past events
Background information
Hypothetical or reported speech
Interactions with other tenses
Summary
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