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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embourber

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The English translation of the French verb embourber is “to bog down.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-boo-ber.”

The word embourber comes from the combination of the prefix “em-” which indicates a motion towards something and the verb “bourbe” which means mud or mire. Therefore, embourber can be translated literally as “to put someone or something in the mud.”

In everyday French, embourber is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a literary tense used to express an action that is completed before another action in the past. This tense is rarely used in spoken language, but it is commonly found in literature and formal writing.

Here are three examples of its usage in this tense with their respective English translations:

  1. J’étais embourbé dans mes pensées quand j’ai entendu une voix familière derrière moi. (I was bogged down in my thoughts when I heard a familiar voice behind me.)

  2. Elle ne pouvait pas sortir de sa voiture parce qu’elle était embourbée dans la boue. (She couldn’t get out of her car because she was bogged down in the mud.)

  3. Les soldats étaient embourbés dans les tranchées depuis des jours avant que le renfort n’arrive enfin. (The soldiers were bogged down in the trenches for days before the reinforcements finally arrived.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse embourbé Si j’avais su, je eusse embourbé la voiture. If I had known, I would have gotten the car stuck.
tu eusses embourbé Si tu étais venu plus tôt, tu eusses embourbé le camion. If you had come earlier, you would have gotten the truck stuck.
il eût embourbé Il aurait fallu qu’il eût embourbé le tracteur pour le sortir de là. He would have had to get the tractor stuck to get it out of there.
elle eût embourbé Elle aurait préféré qu’elle eût embourbé la moto plutôt que de la casser. She would have preferred to get the motorbike stuck rather than breaking it.
on eût embourbé On aurait dû qu’on eût embourbé le bus pour qu’il ne puisse pas continuer. We should have gotten the bus stuck so it couldn’t continue.
nous eussions embourbé Si nous avions eu de la boue, nous eussions embourbé le 4×4. If we had mud, we would have gotten the 4×4 stuck.
vous eussiez embourbé Si vous étiez arrivés plus tôt, vous eussiez embourbé le van. If you had arrived earlier, you would have gotten the van stuck.
ils eussent embourbé S’ils avaient écouté, ils eussent embourbé la voiture dans cette ornière. If they had listened, they would have gotten the car stuck in that rut.
elles eussent embourbé Si elles avaient su, elles eussent embourbé le 4×4 dans ce champ. If they had known, they would have gotten the 4×4 stuck in this field.

Other Conjugations for Embourber.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embourber
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embourber
    (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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Embourber – 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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