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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débouler

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The English translation of the French verb débouler is “to come tumbling down” or “to rush in.”

The infinitive form of débouler is pronounced as “day-boo-lay.”

Débouler comes from the French word “bouler,” which means “to roll.” The prefix “dé-” adds emphasis to the action, so débouler can be translated as “to come rolling down.”

In everyday French, débouler is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met. This tense is used to talk about hypothetical or conditional situations that occurred in the past.

Here are three simple examples of débouler used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais été plus prudent, je n’aurais pas déboulé dans les escaliers.
    Translation: If I had been more careful, I wouldn’t have come tumbling down the stairs.

  2. Il aurait pu être blessé s’il avait déboulé de ce mur.
    Translation: He could have been injured if he had come tumbling down from this wall.

  3. Si elle avait crié plus fort, personne n’aurait déboulé dans la pièce.
    Translation: If she had shouted louder, no one would have rushed into the room.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse déboulé J’aurais aimé que je eusse déboulé plus tôt. I wish I had arrived earlier.
tu eusses déboulé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses déboulé plus tôt. I wish you had arrived earlier.
il eût déboulé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût déboulé plus tôt. I wish he had arrived earlier.
elle eût déboulé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût déboulé plus tôt. I wish she had arrived earlier.
on eût déboulé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût déboulé plus tôt. I wish one had arrived earlier.
nous eussions déboulé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions déboulé plus tôt. I wish we had arrived earlier.
vous eussiez déboulé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez déboulé plus tôt. I wish you had arrived earlier.
ils eussent déboulé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent déboulé plus tôt. I wish they had arrived earlier.
elles eussent déboulé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent déboulé plus tôt. I wish they had arrived earlier.

Other Conjugations for Débouler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débouler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Débouler – 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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