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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bourriquer

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The English translation of bourriquer is “to bungle” or “to mess up.” The infinitive form is pronounced “boh-ree-kay.”

The word bourriquer comes from the French word “bourrique,” meaning donkey. In its original sense, it referred to clumsiness or stupidity, similar to the way we use the phrase “don’t be a jackass” in English. Over time, the verb bourriquer has come to mean making a mistake or messing something up.

In everyday French, bourriquer is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a regret or a hypothetical situation in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage with English translations:

  1. J’avais peur que tu aies bourriqué le gâteau. (I was afraid you had messed up the cake.)

  2. Il fallait que nous ayons bourriqué les plans pour qu’ils soient si compliqués. (We must have messed up the plans for them to be so complicated.)

  3. Je regrettais que tu eusses bourriqué notre voyage en oubliant les billets d’avion. (I regretted that you had messed up our trip by forgetting the plane tickets.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse bourriqué J’aurais aimé que je eusse bourriqué. I wish I had behaved like a donkey.
tu eusses bourriqué J’aurais aimé que tu eusses bourriqué. I wish you had behaved like a donkey.
il eût bourriqué J’aurais aimé qu’il eût bourriqué. I wish he had behaved like a donkey.
elle eût bourriqué J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût bourriqué. I wish she had behaved like a donkey.
on eût bourriqué J’aurais aimé qu’on eût bourriqué. I wish one had behaved like a donkey.
nous eussions bourriqué J’aurais aimé que nous eussions bourriqué. I wish we had behaved like donkeys.
vous eussiez bourriqué J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez bourriqué. I wish you had behaved like donkeys.
ils eussent bourriqué J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent bourriqué. I wish they had behaved like donkeys.
elles eussent bourriqué J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent bourriqué. I wish they had behaved like donkeys.

Other Conjugations for Bourriquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bourriquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bourriquer
    (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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Bourriquer – 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.

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

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