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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb incomber

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of incomber. 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 incomber is “to burden” or “to weigh on.” The infinitive form of incomber is pronounced as “ahn-kom-beh.”

The word “incomber” comes from the Old French word “encombrer,” which means “to hinder” or “to obstruct.” It is a combination of the prefix “en” meaning “in” or “on” and the word “combre,” which refers to a pile or heap.

In everyday French, incomber is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense used to describe an action that had already been completed before another past action. In this tense, the verb is conjugated with the auxiliary verb “avoir” and the past participle “incombé.”

Here are three simple examples of incomber in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Les responsabilités incombées à Marie l’avaient épuisée. (The responsibilities that fell on Marie had exhausted her.)

  2. Il avait toujours cru que la réussite lui incomberait naturellement. (He had always believed that success would naturally fall upon him.)

  3. Le poids de la dette qui lui incombait avait finalement entraîné sa faillite. (The burden of the debt that weighed on him had finally led to his bankruptcy.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais incombé J’avais incombé trop de responsabilités. I had taken on too many responsibilities.
tu tu avais incombé Tu avais incombé une tâche difficile. You had taken on a difficult task.
il il avait incombé Il avait incombé à son supérieur. He had delegated to his superior.
elle elle avait incombé Elle avait incombé la direction des opérations. She had taken on the direction of operations.
on on avait incombé On avait incombé la gestion de la situation. One had taken on the management of the situation.
nous nous avions incombé Nous avions incombé la responsabilité à notre équipe. We had delegated the responsibility to our team.
vous vous aviez incombé Vous aviez incombé la décision à votre manager. You had passed the decision onto your manager.
ils ils avaient incombé Ils avaient incombé la charge à leur collègue. They had entrusted the burden to their colleague.
elles elles avaient incombé Elles avaient incombé la tâche à leur ami. They had assigned the task to their friend.

Other Conjugations for Incomber.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb incomber
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    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 🔥

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

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

Similar Posts