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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb boursoufler

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The English translation of the French verb boursoufler is “to swell up” or “to puff up.” It is pronounced as “boor-soo-flay.”

The word boursoufler comes from the Old French word “boursoufle,” meaning “a swelling” or “a blister.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a past action that would have taken place before another past action.

Some examples of boursoufler in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. Il était énervé car son visage avait boursouflé avant la soirée. (He was upset because his face had swollen up before the party.)

  2. Si le médicament n’avait pas fonctionné, sa jambe se serait boursouflée encore plus. (If the medicine hadn’t worked, her leg would have swollen up even more.)

  3. J’aurais aimé voir son expression quand ses mensonges ont boursouflé son visage. (I would have loved to see his expression when his lies made his face puff up.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse boursouflé Il est possible que je eusse boursouflé mon visage. It’s possible that I had swollen my face.
tu eusses boursouflé Je ne crois pas que tu eusses boursouflé mon visage. I don’t believe you had swollen my face.
il eût boursouflé Il est dommage qu’il eût boursouflé son visage. It’s a pity he had swollen his face.
elle eût boursouflé Elle a avoué qu’elle eût boursouflé son visage. She admitted she had swollen her face.
on eût boursouflé Il est possible qu’on eût boursouflé mon visage. It’s possible someone had swollen my face.
nous eussions boursouflé Il est peu probable que nous eussions boursouflé nos visages. It’s not likely we had swollen our faces.
vous eussiez boursouflé Il est possible que vous eussiez boursouflé vos visages. It’s possible you had swollen your faces.
ils eussent boursouflé Il est possible qu’ils eussent boursouflé leurs visages. It’s possible they had swollen their faces.
elles eussent boursouflé Je doute qu’elles eussent boursouflé leurs visages. I doubt they had swollen their faces.

Other Conjugations for Boursoufler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb boursoufler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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