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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désembourber

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The English translation of the French verb désembourber is “to unstuck” or “to get out of the mud.” It is pronounced as “day-zahm-boor-bay.”

Désembourber comes from the prefix “dés-” which means “un-” or “dis-” and the word “embourber” which means “to get stuck in the mud.” It is most often used in its infinitive form in everyday French when talking about freeing something or someone from a difficult or sticky situation.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, désembourber is used to express an action that had been completed before another past action. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais désembourbé ma voiture avant que la pluie ne commence. (I had unstuck my car before the rain started.)
  2. Tu avais désembourbé tes bottes avant de rentrer à la maison. (You had gotten the mud off your boots before coming back home.)
  3. Nous avions désembourbé le trésor enfoui dans la boue depuis des années. (We had unearthed the treasure buried in the mud for years.)

In these examples, désembourber is used to describe an action that had been completed in the past (unsticking a car, getting mud off boots, unearthing a treasure) before another past action (rain starting, coming back home, finding the treasure) occurred.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais désembourbé J’avais désembourbé la voiture. I had towed the car out of the mud.
tu tu avais désembourbé Tu avais désembourbé le tracteur. You had pulled the tractor out of the mud.
il il avait désembourbé Il avait désembourbé le camion. He had freed the truck from the mud.
elle elle avait désembourbé Elle avait désembourbé la moto. She had unclogged the motorcycle from the mud.
on on avait désembourbé On avait désembourbé le vélo. One had rescued the bicycle from the mud.
nous nous avions désembourbé Nous avions désembourbé le bateau. We had dislodged the boat from the mud.
vous vous aviez désembourbé Vous aviez désembourbé le camion. You had dug out the truck from the mud.
ils ils avaient désembourbé Ils avaient désembourbé le tracteur. They had pulled the tractor out of the mud.
elles elles avaient désembourbé Elles avaient désembourbé le vélo. They had rescued the bicycle from the mud.

Other Conjugations for Désembourber.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désembourber
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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