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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb barbouiller

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The English translation of the French verb barbouiller is “to smear” or “to smudge.” It is pronounced as “bar-boo-ee-yay.”

Barbouiller comes from the Old French word “barbouil,” which means “to soil” or “to stain.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense. This tense is used to express actions that were completed before another past action.

Three simple examples of barbouiller in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais peur que tu aies barbouillé tes vêtements avant la soirée.
    Translation: I was afraid that you had smudged your clothes before the party.

  2. Il était nécessaire que nous ayons barbouillé les murs avant le déménagement.
    Translation: It was necessary that we had smeared the walls before the move.

  3. Mes parents m’ont grondé parce que j’avais barbouillé le canapé avec du chocolat.
    Translation: My parents scolded me because I had smeared chocolate on the couch.

Table of the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of barbouiller

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse barbouillé Si j’étais mieux réveillé, je eusse barbouillé la feuille avec mes mots. If I were more awake, I wish I had scribbled on the paper with my words.
tu eusses barbouillé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses barbouillé ton livre de coloriage avec toutes les couleurs. I wish you had scribbled on your coloring book with all the colors.
il eût barbouillé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût barbouillé son visage avec de la peinture. I wish he had smeared his face with paint.
elle eût barbouillé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût barbouillé sa robe blanche avec du ketchup. I wish she had smeared her white dress with ketchup.
on eût barbouillé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût barbouillé le mur avec des dessins. I wish one had scribbled on the wall with drawings.
nous eussions barbouillé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions barbouillé le tableau avec des idées créatives. I wish we had scribbled on the board with creative ideas.
vous eussiez barbouillé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez barbouillé votre visage avec du maquillage. I wish you had put on makeup on your face.
ils eussent barbouillé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent barbouillé la voiture avec des graffitis. I wish they had scribbled on the car with graffiti.
elles eussent barbouillé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent barbouillé leurs mains avec de la peinture. I wish they had smeared their hands with paint.

Other Conjugations for Barbouiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb barbouiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb barbouiller
    (this article)

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

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Barbouiller – About the French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, also known as the Pluperfect Subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions or states that occurred before another action in the past, and it’s used in situations where the indicative mood is in the past subjunctive or conditional mood.
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 Plus-que-parfait, you start with the imperfect subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
For “avoir” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “avoir” (e.g., j’eusse, tu eusses, il/elle eût, nous eussions, vous eussiez, ils/elles eussent). Add the past participle of the main verb. 
For “être” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “être” (e.g., je fusse, tu fusses, il/elle fût, nous fussions, vous fussiez, ils/elles fussent). Add the past participle of the main verb.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Hypothetical Situations

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is often used to express hypothetical or unreal actions that occurred before another past action.
For example: J’aurais aimé que tu aies fini ton travail avant que je sois arrivé. (I would have liked for you to have finished your work before I arrived.) 

Reported Speech

In reported speech, you may use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait to convey what someone said or thought in the past. 
For example: Il m’a dit qu’il avait peur que je n’aie pas compris. (He told me that he was afraid that I hadn’t understood.) 

Doubt, Wishes, and Emotions

This tense can also be used to express doubt, wishes, and emotions about past actions. 
For example: Je doutais qu’il eût dit la vérité. (I doubted that he had told the truth.) 
J’aurais souhaité que tu fusses venu. (I would have wished for you to have come.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Subjunctive

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to describe past actions when the main verb is in the present subjunctive. 
For example: “Il faut que j’aie fini mon travail avant que tu partes.” (I must have finished my work before you leave.) 

Imperfect Subjunctive

It’s common to use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait with the imperfect subjunctive in complex sentences. 
For example: “Il m’avait dit qu’il fût rentré avant la fin de la journée.” (He had told me that he had returned before the end of the day.) 

Conditional

When the main verb is in the conditional mood, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to express past unreal conditions. 
For example: “Si j’avais su, j’aurais voulu que tu aies réussi.” (If I had known, I would have wanted you to have succeeded.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is a complex tense used to convey nuanced meanings in French. While its usage may seem intricate, it becomes more intuitive with practice and exposure to the language. It’s important to understand the context in which it’s used, as it often conveys subtleties of time, conditionality, and emotion in French sentences.

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