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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embuer

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The English translation of the French verb embuer is “to mist up” or “to fog up.” It is pronounced as ahn-bwey in the infinitive form.

The word embuer comes from the Old French word “embuier,” which means “to be misty or foggy.” It ultimately comes from the Latin word “imbuere,” meaning “to wet” or “to moisten.” In everyday French, embuer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a past hypothetical action or situation.

  1. J’avais peur qu’il embuât mes lunettes avec son souffle chaud. (I was afraid he would fog up my glasses with his warm breath.)
  2. Elle doutait que le miroir se fût embué à cause de la vapeur d’eau. (She doubted that the mirror had misted up because of the steam.)
  3. Il était possible que l’humidité se fût embuée sur la fenêtre pendant la nuit. (It was possible that the humidity had fogged up the window during the night.)

English translations:

  1. I was afraid he would fog up my glasses with his warm breath.
  2. She doubted that the mirror had misted up because of the steam.
  3. It was possible that the humidity had fogged up the window during the night.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse embué J’aurais aimé que je eusse embué mes lunettes. I wish I had misted up my glasses.
tu eusses embué J’aurais aimé que tu eusses embué tes lunettes. I wish you had misted up your glasses.
il eût embué J’aurais aimé qu’il eût embué ses lunettes. I wish he had misted up his glasses.
elle eût embué J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût embué ses lunettes. I wish she had misted up her glasses.
on eût embué J’aurais aimé qu’on eût embué ses lunettes. I wish one had misted up their glasses.
nous eussions embué J’aurais aimé que nous eussions embué nos lunettes. I wish we had misted up our glasses.
vous eussiez embué J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez embué vos lunettes. I wish you had misted up your glasses.
ils eussent embué J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent embué leurs lunettes. I wish they had misted up their glasses.
elles eussent embué J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent embué leurs lunettes. I wish they had misted up their glasses.

Other Conjugations for Embuer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embuer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Embuer – 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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