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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débouler

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The English translation of the French verb débouler is “to come tumbling down” or “to rush out.” It is pronounced as “day-boo-lay.”

Débouler comes from the French verb “bouler” which means “to roll.” The prefix “dé-” adds an intensifying meaning to the word, so débouler can be translated as “to roll out” or “to come tumbling down.” In everyday French, débouler is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that happened before another action in the past.

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

  1. J’avais déboulé dans la cuisine avant que mes parents ne rentrent à la maison. (I had rushed into the kitchen before my parents came back home.)
  2. Tu avais déboulé dans la salle de classe quand le professeur avait commencé son cours. (You had burst into the classroom when the teacher had started her lesson.)
  3. Les enfants avaient déboulé dans le parc avant que la pluie ne commence à tomber. (The children had tumbled into the park before the rain began to fall.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais déboulé J’avais déboulé dans la pièce. I had burst into the room.
tu tu avais déboulé Tu avais déboulé dans la course. You had burst into the race.
il il avait déboulé Il avait déboulé dans la voiture. He had burst into the car.
elle elle avait déboulé Elle avait déboulé dans le magasin. She had burst into the store.
on on avait déboulé On avait déboulé dans la fête. One had burst into the party.
nous nous avions déboulé Nous avions déboulé dans la gare. We had burst into the train station.
vous vous aviez déboulé Vous aviez déboulé dans la salle. You had burst into the room.
ils ils avaient déboulé Ils avaient déboulé dans la conversation. They had burst into the conversation.
elles elles avaient déboulé Elles avaient déboulé dans le match. They had burst into the game.

Other Conjugations for Débouler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débouler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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