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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cabotiner

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The English translation of the French verb cabotiner is “to play the clown/to show off.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ka-bo-tee-nay.”

The word cabotiner comes from the French noun “cabotin,” meaning “actor” or “performer.” It originated from the Italian word “capitano,” meaning “captain,” which was used to refer to actors who played the leading role in a play.

In everyday French, cabotiner is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express something that could have been done or said in the past, but was not.

  1. Si j’avais su que tu serais là, j’aurais bien cabotiné pour te faire rire. (If I had known you would be here, I would have played the clown to make you laugh.)
  2. Il aurait mieux fait de ne pas cabotiner pendant la réunion. (He should not have shown off during the meeting.)
  3. Nous aurions cabotiné si nous avions été dans une pièce de théâtre ensemble. (We would have played the clown if we had been in a play together.)

Table of the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of cabotiner

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cabotiné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais cabotiné. I would have acted like a show-off to you.
tu aurais cabotiné Tu aurais cabotiné plus tôt. You would have acted like a show-off earlier.
il aurait cabotiné Il aurait cabotiné devant tout le monde. He would have shown off in front of everyone.
elle aurait cabotiné Elle aurait cabotiné pour obtenir le rôle. She would have acted like a show-off to get the role.
on aurait cabotiné On aurait cabotiné pendant le spectacle. One would have shown off during the show.
nous aurions cabotiné Nous aurions cabotiné sur scène. We would have acted like show-offs on stage.
vous auriez cabotiné Vous auriez cabotiné avec les autres acteurs. You would have acted like show-offs with the other actors.
ils auraient cabotiné Ils auraient cabotiné pour attirer l’attention. They would have shown off to get attention.
elles auraient cabotiné Elles auraient cabotiné pour obtenir le premier rôle. They (female) would have acted like show-offs to get the lead role.

Other Conjugations for Cabotiner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cabotiner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cabotiner  (this article)

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cabotiner


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Cabotiner – About the French Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Passé” is a compound tense used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is formed by combining the conditional of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

Start with the conditional of the auxiliary verb: For most verbs, use “aurais” (for “avoir”) or “serais” (for “être”) as the conditional form. 

With “avoir”: j’aurais, tu aurais, il/elle/on aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez, ils/elles auraient. 
With “être”: je serais, tu serais, il/elle/on serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils/elles seraient. 

Add the past participle of the main verb to this conditional form. 
For example, if you want to say “I would have done,” you would use “j’aurais fait.” If you want to say “She would have gone,” you would use “elle serait allée.”

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Unreal Past Scenarios

The Conditionnel Passé is often used to talk about actions that did not happen in the past, but you are speculating about what would have occurred if they had. It’s a way to discuss hypothetical situations in the past. 

Si j’avais su, je t’aurais aidé. (If I had known, I would have helped you.)
Il serait venu s’il avait eu le temps. (He would have come if he had had the time.) 

Polite Requests or Suggestions

It can be used to make polite requests or suggestions in the past. 

Pourriez-vous m’aider, s’il vous plaît ? (Could you have helped me, please?) 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

It can convey doubt or uncertainty regarding past events.

Il aurait peut-être oublié notre rendez-vous. (He might have forgotten our appointment.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Conditional Present

You can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional present to describe past actions that were hypothetical at the time they were spoken about. J’aurais aimé que tu m’appelles hier. (I would have liked you to call me yesterday.) 

Indicative Past Tenses

You might use the Conditionnel Passé alongside indicative past tenses like the passé composé to contrast hypothetical and real past events. Il est venu hier, mais s’il avait pu, il serait venu la semaine dernière. (He came yesterday, but if he could have, he would have come last week.) 

Conditional Future

In some cases, you can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional future to discuss unreal past events that could have consequences in the future. Si j’avais réussi mon examen, j’aurais un meilleur travail. (If I had passed my exam, I would have a better job.)

Summary

In summary, the Conditionnel Passé is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is often used in conjunction with other tenses to convey various nuances in French, allowing speakers to discuss imaginary past scenarios, make polite requests, or express doubt about past events.

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