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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb caramboler

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The English translation of the French verb caramboler is to carom or to make a carom shot. It is pronounced as “ka-rahm-boh-leh”.

Caramboler comes from the French noun “carambole”, meaning “carom” or “cannonball”. It originated from the Spanish word “carambola” which means “red ball” or “fruit of the carambola tree”. In everyday French conversation, caramboler is commonly used in sports, particularly in billiards and pool, to describe a type of shot where the cue ball hits two or more object balls in succession.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, caramboler is conjugated as “que j’eusse carambolé” for the first person singular. It is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that occurred before another action in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Il était sûr qu’il aurait gagné s’il avait réussi à caramboler la bille rouge. (He was confident he would have won if he had managed to make the carom shot on the red ball.)

  2. Nous n’avions pas atteint le score nécessaire pour gagner, même si nous avions carambolé toutes les billes restantes. (We didn’t reach the required score to win, even if we had caromed all the remaining balls.)

  3. J’ai regretté de ne pas avoir carambolé la bille noire lors du dernier coup. (I regretted not making the carom shot on the black ball on the last turn.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse carambolé Si je eusse carambolé, j’aurais perdu le match. If I had fouled, I would have lost the game.
tu eusses carambolé Si tu eusses carambolé, tu aurais dû payer une amende. If you had bumped into, you would have had to pay a fine.
il eût carambolé Si il eût carambolé, il aurait été disqualifié. If he had collided, he would have been disqualified.
elle eût carambolé Si elle eût carambolé, elle aurait dû s’excuser. If she had bumped into, she would have had to apologize.
on eût carambolé Si on eût carambolé, on aurait dû arrêter le jeu. If one had collided, one would have had to stop the game.
nous eussions carambolé Si nous eussions carambolé, nous aurions dû recommencer. If we had collided, we would have had to start over.
vous eussiez carambolé Si vous eussiez carambolé, vous auriez gagné le tournoi. If you had bumped into, you would have won the tournament.
ils eussent carambolé Si ils eussent carambolé, ils auraient dû payer une amende. If they had collided, they would have had to pay a fine.
elles eussent carambolé Si elles eussent carambolé, elles auraient dû s’excuser. If they had bumped into, they would have had to apologize.

Other Conjugations for Caramboler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb caramboler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Caramboler – 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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