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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb emmêler

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The English translation of the French verb emmêler is “to tangle” or “to get tangled/mixed up.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced as “uh-meh-lay.”

Emmêler comes from the Old French word “mesler,” which means “to mix.” It is derived from the Latin word “misculare,” meaning “to mix.” In everyday French, emmêler is most often used to describe things that are tangled or jumbled together.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, emmêler is used to talk about something that had been tangled or mixed up in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais emmêlé tous les fils électriques avant de réaliser que je les avais branchés au mauvais endroit. (I had tangled all the electrical wires before realizing that I had plugged them in the wrong place.)

  2. Elle avait emmêlé ses mots pendant son discours et cela l’avait mise mal à l’aise. (She had tangled her words during her speech and it had made her uncomfortable.)

  3. Nous avions emmêlé nos billets de concert et nous avons fini par manquer le début du spectacle. (We had tangled our concert tickets and ended up missing the beginning of the show.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais emmêlé J’avais emmêlé mes cheveux. I had tangled my hair.
tu tu avais emmêlé Tu avais emmêlé le fil. You had tangled the thread.
il il avait emmêlé Il avait emmêlé les cordes. He had tangled the ropes.
elle elle avait emmêlé Elle avait emmêlé la laine. She had tangled the wool.
on on avait emmêlé On avait emmêlé les câbles. One had tangled the cables.
nous nous avions emmêlé Nous avions emmêlé les fils électriques. We had tangled the electrical wires.
vous vous aviez emmêlé Vous aviez emmêlé les fils. You had tangled the wires.
ils ils avaient emmêlé Ils avaient emmêlé les ficelles. They had tangled the strings.
elles elles avaient emmêlé Elles avaient emmêlé les rubans. They had tangled the ribbons.

Other Conjugations for Emmêler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emmêler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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