Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Introduction to the verb chicaner
The English translation of the French verb chicaner is “to quibble” or “to be nitpicky”. The infinitive form of chicaner is pronounced “shee-ka-nay”.
The word chicaner comes from the Latin word “chicane” meaning “cunning” or “trickery”. It entered the French language in the 16th century and has since evolved to mean being petty or argumentative.
In everyday French, chicaner is most often used in the Passé Antérieur tense which is used to express an action that occurred before another action in the past.
Examples:
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Quand j’ai fini de nettoyer la cuisine, ma mère avait déjà commencé à chicaner sur la vaisselle. (When I finished cleaning the kitchen, my mother had already started quibbling about the dishes.)
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J’ai essayé de lui expliquer la situation, mais elle avait déjà chicané sur les détails sans importance. (I tried to explain the situation to her, but she had already nitpicked on insignificant details.)
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Une fois que j’ai fini mes devoirs, mon frère avait déjà chicané sur le désordre dans ma chambre. (Once I finished my homework, my brother had already complained about the mess in my room.)
English translations:
- When I finished cleaning the kitchen, my mother had already started quibbling about the dishes.
- I tried to explain the situation to her, but she had already nitpicked on insignificant details.
- Once I finished my homework, my brother had already complained about the mess in my room.
Table of the Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of chicaner
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | j’eusse | J’eusse chicané | I had argued |
tu | tu eusses | Tu eusses chicané | You had argued |
il | il eût | Il eût chicané | He had argued |
elle | elle eût | Elle eût chicané | She had argued |
on | on eût | On eût chicané | One had argued |
nous | nous eûmes | Nous eûmes chicané | We had argued |
vous | vous eûtes | Vous eûtes chicané | You had argued |
ils | ils eurent | Ils eurent chicané | They had argued |
elles | elles eurent | Elles eurent chicané | They had argued |
Other Conjugations for Chicaner.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner (this article)
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
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Chicaner – About the French Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense
Formation of the Passé Antérieur
Common Usage Patterns
Literature
Historical Texts
Formal Writing
Interactions with Other Tenses
Passé Composé (Present Perfect)
Imparfait (Imperfect)
Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect)
Summary
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