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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embuer

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The English translation of the French verb embuer is “to fog up” or “to mist over.” It is pronounced as “ahn-bweh” in the infinitive form.

The verb embuer comes from the Old French word “enbuier,” which comes from the Latin word “in” meaning “in” and “buiare” meaning “to make cloudy.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Examples:

  1. Je voulais que mes lunettes s’embuent moins quand je porte mon masque. (I wished my glasses would fog up less when I wear my mask.)
  2. Il fallait que tu ne t’embues pas les yeux en entrant dans le sauna. (You had to not let your eyes fog up when entering the sauna.)
  3. Elle craignait que sa caméra ne s’embuât pendant le tournage dans la pluie. (She feared her camera would fog up during the filming in the rain.)

Table of the Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of embuer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je embuasse Je n’irais pas si je m’embuasse les lunettes. I wouldn’t go if my glasses fogged up.
tu embuasses Si tu me regardais pas, tu embuasses la vitre. If you didn’t look at me, you would fog up the window.
il embuât Il serait plus prudent qu’il embuât pas les miroirs. It would be wiser if he didn’t fog up the mirrors.
elle embuât Elle serait plus heureuse si elle embuât moins. She would be happier if she fogged up less.
on embuât Si on regardait pas à travers les fenêtres, on embuât pas les vitres. If one didn’t look through the windows, one wouldn’t fog up the windows.
nous embuassions Si nous embuassions les lunettes, nous verrions moins bien. If we fogged up our glasses, we would see less clearly.
vous embuassiez Si vous ne parlaissez pas, vous embuassiez le miroir. If you didn’t talk, you would fog up the mirror.
ils embuassent S’ils embuassaent les surfaces, ils devraient les nettoyer. If they fogged up surfaces, they would have to clean them.
elles embuassent Si elles avaient chaud, elles embuassent les fenêtres. If they were hot, they would fog up the windows.

Other Conjugations for Embuer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embuer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embuer (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Embuer – About the French Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Imparfait, also known as the imperfect subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions, states, or conditions that are uncertain, subjective, or hypothetical in the past. It is used in a variety of situations, including wishes, doubts, emotions, and polite requests, and often occurs in dependent clauses following certain expressions and conjunctions.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Subjonctif Imparfait, you typically start with the third person plural (ils/elles) form of the verb in the imparfait (imperfect) tense. Then, you remove the -ent ending and add the appropriate endings:

– For regular -er verbs: je -sse, tu -sses, il/elle/on -t, nous -ssions, vous -ssiez, ils/elles -ssent.
– For regular -ir and -re verbs: je -sse, tu -sses, il/elle/on -t, nous -ssions, vous -ssiez, ils/elles -ssent.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

1. Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty: The Subjonctif Imparfait is used to express doubt or uncertainty about something that happened in the past.

Example: Il doutait qu’elle vînt à la fête. (He doubted that she came to the party.)

2. Wishes and Desires: It is used to express wishes or desires in the past.

Example: J’aurais aimé que tu fusses là. (I would have liked you to be there.)

3. Hypothetical Scenarios: The Subjonctif Imparfait is employed in hypothetical situations in the past.

Example: Si j’eusse su, j’aurais agi différemment. (If I had known, I would have acted differently.)
4. Polite Requests and Suggestions: It is used to make polite requests and suggestions in a formal or polite tone.

Example: Il souhaitait que vous vinssiez lui rendre visite. (He wished that you would come to visit him.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Subjonctif Présent

The Subjonctif Imparfait is often used in dependent clauses with the Subjonctif Présent in the main clause, especially in complex sentences.

Example: Il faut que tu manges bien pour que tu aies de l’énergie. (You need to eat well so that you have energy.)

Indicatif Passé Composé

The Subjonctif Imparfait can be used alongside the Indicatif Passé Composé to indicate a contrast between a factual event and a hypothetical one.

Example: Il est parti avant que tu ne fusses arrivé. (He left before you arrived.)

Conditional

The Subjonctif Imparfait is often used with the Conditional to express unreal or hypothetical situations in the past.

Example: J’aurais pu le faire si j’eusse eu plus de temps. (I could have done it if I had had more time.)

Conditional Perfect

It can also be used with the Conditional Perfect to express unreal or hypothetical past events that would have occurred before other past events.

Example: J’aurais su s’il eût partagé l’information. (I would have known if he had shared the information.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Imparfait is a relatively complex tense, and its usage depends on the context and the verbs involved. It is essential to practice and become familiar with common expressions and contexts where this tense is appropriate to use it effectively in everyday French communication.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb embuer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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