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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embarbouiller

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of embarbouiller. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb embarbouiller is “to confuse” or “to mix up.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahm-bahr-boo-yay.”

The word embarbouiller comes from the French word “barbouiller,” which means “to smear” or “to make a mess.” It is derived from the word “barbouillis,” meaning “a confusion” or “a mess.” It is often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English.

  1. J’avais embarbouillĂ© les noms des invitĂ©s et je ne savais plus qui Ă©tait qui. (I had confused the names of the guests and I didn’t know who was who.)

  2. Tu avais tellement embarbouillĂ© les instructions que je n’ai pas pu comprendre comment monter le meuble. (You had confused the instructions so much that I couldn’t understand how to assemble the furniture.)

  3. Elle avait embarbouillé son discours et a fini par dire quelque chose de totalement incohérent. (She had mixed up her speech and ended up saying something completely incoherent.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais embarbouillĂ© J’avais embarbouillĂ© mon maquillage. I had smeared my makeup.
tu tu avais embarbouillé Tu avais embarbouillé le tableau. You had messed up the painting.
il il avait embarbouillé Il avait embarbouillé son discours. He had muddled his speech.
elle elle avait embarbouillé Elle avait embarbouillé sa coiffure. She had messed up her hair.
on on avait embarbouillé On avait embarbouillé nos plans. One had messed up our plans.
nous nous avions embarbouillé Nous avions embarbouillé la recette. We had botched the recipe.
vous vous aviez embarbouillé Vous aviez embarbouillé le contrat. You had bungled the contract.
ils ils avaient embarbouillé Ils avaient embarbouillé leur réunion. They had messed up their meeting.
elles elles avaient embarbouillé Elles avaient embarbouillé leur maquillage. They had smeared their makeup.

Other Conjugations for Embarbouiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller
   

    PassĂ© Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller
   

    PassĂ© ComposĂ© (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller
   

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

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

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

    PassĂ© AntĂ©rieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller

    Futur AntĂ©rieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller

    Subjonctif PrĂ©sent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller

    Subjonctif PassĂ© (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller
   

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

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

    Conditionnel PrĂ©sent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller
   

    Conditionnel PassĂ© (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller

    L’impĂ©ratif PrĂ©sent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller

    L’infinitif PrĂ©sent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation đŸ”„

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the embarbouiller Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

Embarbouiller – 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 “ĂȘtre” (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 mangĂ© (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlĂ© (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 jouĂ© (They had played)
2. With “ĂȘtre” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’Ă©tais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu Ă©tais arrivĂ©(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on Ă©tait tombĂ©(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous Ă©tions restĂ©(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous Ă©tiez nĂ©(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles Ă©taient montĂ©(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 mangĂ© avant qu’il ne soit arrivĂ©” (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 arrivĂ©, ils avaient dĂ©jĂ  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 passĂ© composĂ© (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passĂ© composĂ© 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 diffĂ©remment” (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 embarbouiller. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts