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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embarbouiller

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The English translation of embarbouiller is “to confuse” or “to muddle up.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-bar-boo-yay.”

The origin of the French verb embarbouiller can be traced back to the Old French word “embarbouillier,” which was derived from the Latin word “barba,” meaning “beard.” The verb originally referred to the act of getting one’s beard tangled or messy. Over time, it evolved to mean to confuse or mix up something or someone.

In everyday French, embarbouiller is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to convey a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Plus-que-parfait tense, followed by the past participle of embarbouiller.

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

  1. Il aurait fallu que je ne m’embrouille pas et que je trouve le bon chemin. (I should not have gotten confused and found the right path.)
  2. J’aurais aimé que tu ne t’embrouilles pas en expliquant le problème. (I wish you had not muddled up while explaining the problem.)
  3. Si j’avais suivi votre conseil, je ne me serais pas embarbouillé dans cette situation compliquée. (If I had followed your advice, I would not have gotten myself into this complicated situation.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Embarbouiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller
    (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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Embarbouiller – 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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