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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fabuler

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The English translation of the French verb fabuler is “to fabricate” or “to invent”. It is pronounced as “fa-byuh-lay” in the infinitive form.

Fabuler comes from the Latin word “fabula”, which means “a story” or “a tale”. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about an action that was completed in the past before another past action.

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

  1. J’avais fabulé toute une histoire pour expliquer mon absence à la réunion. (I had fabricated a whole story to explain my absence at the meeting.)

  2. Ils s’étaient fabulé une vie de luxe en mentant sur leur réussite. (They had fabricated a life of luxury by lying about their success.)

  3. Elle avait fabulé sur ses origines pour se rendre plus intéressante. (She had invented stories about her origins to make herself more interesting.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais fabulé J’avais fabulé sur mon aventure. I had fabricated about my adventure.
tu tu avais fabulé Tu avais fabulé sur ta réussite. You had fabricated about your success.
il il avait fabulé Il avait fabulé sur son passé. He had fabricated about his past.
elle elle avait fabulé Elle avait fabulé sur sa famille. She had fabricated about her family.
on on avait fabulé On avait fabulé sur sa richesse. One had fabricated about their wealth.
nous nous avions fabulé Nous avions fabulé sur notre voyage. We had fabricated about our trip.
vous vous aviez fabulé Vous aviez fabulé sur votre décision. You had fabricated about your decision.
ils ils avaient fabulé Ils avaient fabulé sur leur projet. They had fabricated about their project.
elles elles avaient fabulé Elles avaient fabulé sur leur histoire. They had fabricated about their story.

Other Conjugations for Fabuler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fabuler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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