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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embêter

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The English translation of the French verb embêter is “to bother” or “to annoy.” The infinitive form of embêter is pronounced as ahm-bet-ay.

The word embêter comes from the Old French word “enbaitier,” which means “to make a noise, disturb, or bother.” It is derived from the Latin words “in” meaning “in” and “battuere” meaning “to strike.” In everyday French, embêter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

Here are three simple examples of embêter being used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais embêté mon frère toute la journée avant qu’il ne se fâche. (I had bothered my brother all day before he got angry.)
  2. Tu avais embêté tes voisins en faisant trop de bruit la nuit dernière. (You had annoyed your neighbors by making too much noise last night.)
  3. Les enfants avaient embêté leur professeur jusqu’à ce qu’il perde patience. (The children had bothered their teacher until he lost his patience.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais embêté J’avais embêté mon frère. I had bothered my brother.
tu tu avais embêté Tu avais embêté tes amis. You had annoyed your friends.
il il avait embêté Il avait embêté son voisin. He had harassed his neighbor.
elle elle avait embêté Elle avait embêté son patron. She had annoyed her boss.
on on avait embêté On avait embêté les voisins. One had bothered the neighbors.
nous nous avions embêté Nous avions embêté les enfants. We had annoyed the children.
vous vous aviez embêté Vous aviez embêté vos collègues. You had annoyed your colleagues.
ils ils avaient embêté Ils avaient embêté leur professeur. They had bothered their teacher.
elles elles avaient embêté Elles avaient embêté leur colocataire. They had annoyed their roommate.

Other Conjugations for Embêter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embêter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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