← All verbs
Verb conjugation

bourlinguer

to tack against the wind; to roam, get about

Usage

An informal, evocative verb for having knocked around the world — traveled widely and roughly, often associated with sailors, adventurers, or a rough-and-tumble life (il a bourlingué pendant vingt ans avant de se poser). Carries a sense of hardship and experience, not casual tourism.

Examples
  • Il a bourlingué sur tous les océans avant de prendre sa retraite.He knocked around every ocean before retiring.
  • Elle a bourlingué en Amérique du Sud dans sa jeunesse.She roughed it around South America in her youth.
  • Ce marin a bien bourlingué au cours de sa carrière.This sailor has really been around during his career.
Common mistake

Bourlinguer implies a rough, adventurous kind of travel, not a relaxed holiday — voyager or visiter are the neutral words for ordinary tourism; save bourlinguer for describing someone's colorful, hard-won life on the move.

Simple tenses

Present

jebourlingue
tubourlingues
il/ellebourlingue
nousbourlinguons
vousbourlinguez
ils/ellesbourlinguent

Imperfect

jebourlinguais
tubourlinguais
il/ellebourlinguait
nousbourlinguions
vousbourlinguiez
ils/ellesbourlinguaient

Past historic (passé simple)

jebourlinguai
tubourlinguas
il/ellebourlingua
nousbourlinguâmes
vousbourlinguâtes
ils/ellesbourlinguèrent

Future

jebourlinguerai
tubourlingueras
il/ellebourlinguera
nousbourlinguerons
vousbourlinguerez
ils/ellesbourlingueront

Conditional

jebourlinguerais
tubourlinguerais
il/ellebourlinguerait
nousbourlinguerions
vousbourlingueriez
ils/ellesbourlingueraient

Subjunctive

jebourlingue
tubourlingues
il/ellebourlingue
nousbourlinguions
vousbourlinguiez
ils/ellesbourlinguent

Subjunctive (imperfect)

jebourlinguasse
tubourlinguasses
il/ellebourlinguât
nousbourlinguassions
vousbourlinguassiez
ils/ellesbourlinguassent

Imperative

tubourlingue
nousbourlinguons
vousbourlinguez

Compound tenses

Passé composé

jeai bourlingué
tuas bourlingué
il/ellea bourlingué
nousavons bourlingué
vousavez bourlingué
ils/ellesont bourlingué

Plus-que-parfait

jeavais bourlingué
tuavais bourlingué
il/elleavait bourlingué
nousavions bourlingué
vousaviez bourlingué
ils/ellesavaient bourlingué

Passé antérieur

jeeus bourlingué
tueus bourlingué
il/elleeut bourlingué
nouseûmes bourlingué
vouseûtes bourlingué
ils/elleseurent bourlingué

Futur antérieur

jeaurai bourlingué
tuauras bourlingué
il/elleaura bourlingué
nousaurons bourlingué
vousaurez bourlingué
ils/ellesauront bourlingué

Conditionnel passé

jeaurais bourlingué
tuaurais bourlingué
il/elleaurait bourlingué
nousaurions bourlingué
vousauriez bourlingué
ils/ellesauraient bourlingué

Subjonctif passé

jeaie bourlingué
tuaies bourlingué
il/elleait bourlingué
nousayons bourlingué
vousayez bourlingué
ils/ellesaient bourlingué

Subjonctif plus-que-parfait

jeeusse bourlingué
tueusses bourlingué
il/elleeût bourlingué
nouseussions bourlingué
vouseussiez bourlingué
ils/elleseussent bourlingué

Impératif passé

tuaie bourlingué
nousayons bourlingué
vousayez bourlingué

Other

Present participle

bourlinguant

Past participle

bourlingué

Infinitive

bourlinguer

Want to practice? Try a conjugation exercise.

Frequently asked questions

What does "bourlinguer" mean?

"bourlinguer" means "to tack against the wind; to roam, get about".

How do you conjugate "bourlinguer" in the present tense?

The present of "bourlinguer" is: je bourlingue, tu bourlingues, il/elle bourlingue, nous bourlinguons, vous bourlinguez, ils/elles bourlinguent.

What is the Passé composé of "bourlinguer"?

The passé composé of "bourlinguer" is: je ai bourlingué, tu as bourlingué, il/elle a bourlingué, nous avons bourlingué, vous avez bourlingué, ils/elles ont bourlingué.

What is the Imperative of "bourlinguer"?

The imperative of "bourlinguer" is: tu bourlingue, nous bourlinguons, vous bourlinguez.