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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gamberger

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The English translation of the French verb gamberger is “to puzzle over.” It is pronounced as “gahm-behr-zhay.”

The word gamberger comes from the Old French word “gamber,” meaning to stumble or trip, and the suffix “-er,” which is added to verbs to indicate the infinitive form. In everyday French, gamberger is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place before another past action.

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

  1. J’avais déjà gambergé sur la meilleure façon de le dire avant de lui parler. (I had already puzzled over the best way to say it before talking to him.)

  2. Elle aurait gambergé sur la décision à prendre si elle avait su la vérité. (She would have puzzled over the decision to make if she had known the truth.)

  3. Il était temps que j’arrive à une conclusion, après avoir gambergé pendant des heures. (It was time for me to come to a conclusion, after puzzling over it for hours.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Gamberger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gamberger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Gamberger – 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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