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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb emboucher

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The English translation of the French verb emboucher is “to take a mouthful” or “to put a mouthpiece on.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced as ahn-boo-shay.

The word “emboucher” comes from the Latin word “inbuccare” which means “to put in the mouth.” In French, it is most commonly used in reference to musical instruments, specifically wind instruments, when placing the mouthpiece on the instrument. It can also be used in a more general sense of putting something in one’s mouth, such as food or a cigarette.

Example 1: J’avais embouché ma trompette avant que le concert ne commence. (I had put the mouthpiece on my trumpet before the concert started.)

Example 2: Il était en train d’emboucher sa cigarette lorsque je suis arrivé. (He was about to take a drag of his cigarette when I arrived.)

Example 3: Nous avions embouché les flûtes avant de commencer notre répétition. (We had put the mouthpieces on the flutes before starting our rehearsal.)

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, “emboucher” is often used in the same way as in the past tense, except with the addition of the subjunctive mood to express a hypothetical or uncertain action.

Example 1: J’aurais aimé que tu aies embouché ta trompette plus tôt. (I wish you had put the mouthpiece on your trumpet earlier.)

Example 2: Il aurait été mieux si vous aviez embouché vos cigarettes dehors. (It would have been better if you had smoked your cigarettes outside.)

Example 3: J’aurais préféré que nous ayons embouché les flûtes ensemble. (I would have preferred if we had put the mouthpieces on the flutes together.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse embouché Si seulement j’avais eusse embouché plus tôt. If only I had opened my mouth earlier.
tu eusses embouché J’aurais souhaité que tu eusses embouché cette trompette. I wish you had played this trumpet.
il eût embouché J’aurais préféré qu’il eût embouché à nouveau cette clarinette. I wish he had played this clarinet again.
elle eût embouché J’aurais voulu qu’elle eût embouché le saxophone. I wish she had played the saxophone.
on eût embouché Si seulement on eût embouché le cor plus fort. If only we had played the horn louder.
nous eussions embouché Nous aurions aimé que nous eussions embouché cet instrument. We wish we had played this instrument.
vous eussiez embouché J’aurais espéré que vous eussiez embouché cette flûte. I wish you had played this flute.
ils eussent embouché Mes parents auraient préféré que mes frères eussent embouché la trompette. My parents wish my brothers had played the trumpet.
elles eussent embouché J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent embouché le piano. I wish they had played the piano.

Other Conjugations for Emboucher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emboucher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Emboucher – 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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