Passé Simple (Simple 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 show off” or “to ham it up.” The infinitive form of cabotiner is pronounced as “kah-boh-tee-nay.”

The word “cabotiner” is derived from the noun “cabotin,” which refers to an actor who overacts or hams it up while performing. In everyday French, the verb “cabotiner” is most often used in informal conversations to describe someone who is exaggerating their actions or behavior for attention or to make others laugh.

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), “cabotiner” is conjugated as follows:

  • Je cabotinai: I hammed it up
  • Tu cabotinas: You (informal) hammed it up
  • Il/elle/on cabotina: He/she/one hammed it up

Here are three simple examples of “cabotiner” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Hier soir, il cabotina devant ses amis en imitant les personnalités célèbres.
    Translation: Last night, he hammed it up in front of his friends by imitating famous personalities.

  2. Nous cabotinâmes en jouant des sketches comiques lors de la fête.
    Translation: We hammed it up by performing comedic sketches at the party.

  3. Les enfants cabotinèrent en se déguisant et en dansant sur la scène.
    Translation: The children showed off by dressing up and dancing on stage.

Note: The Passé Simple tense is a literary tense that is rarely used in spoken French. It is mainly used in literature, historical texts, or formal writing. In everyday conversations, the compound past tense (Passé Composé) is more commonly used.

Table of the Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of cabotiner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cabotinai Je cabotinai sur scène. I hammed it up on stage.
Tu cabotinas Tu cabotinas avec humour. You hammed it up with humor.
Il cabotina Il cabotina pour le public. He hammed it up for the audience.
Elle cabotina Elle cabotina pendant le spectacle. She hammed it up during the show.
On cabotina On cabotina devant la caméra. One hammed it up in front of the camera.
Nous cabotinâmes Nous cabotinâmes en duo. We hammed it up together.
Vous cabotinâtes Vous cabotinâtes en solo. You hammed it up alone.
Ils cabotinèrent Ils cabotinèrent sur scène. They hammed it up on stage.
Elles cabotinèrent Elles cabotinèrent avec talent. They (feminine) hammed it up with talent.

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 (You’re reading it right now!)

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

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

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

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cabotiner

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

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cabotiner

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cabotiner

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cabotiner

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Cabotiner – About the French Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense

The French Passé Simple, also known as the Simple Past or Preterite, is a past tense used in written French to describe completed actions that took place at a specific point in the past.
It is not commonly used in everyday spoken language, where the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense. The Passé Simple is mainly found in literature, formal writing, and historical contexts. It has a somewhat limited use in modern French, and its conjugation can be complex.  
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

The Passé Simple is formed by conjugating the verb according to its specific endings for regular and irregular verbs. The endings typically vary based on the verb group (i.e., -er, -ir, or -re). For example:
   – For regular -er verbs (e.g., manger, parler): Remove the -er ending and add appropriate endings, like -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent.
   – For regular -ir verbs (e.g., finir, choisir): Remove the -ir ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.
   – For regular -re verbs (e.g., vendre, attendre): Remove the -re ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.

Usage

Narration

The Passé Simple is commonly used in literature to describe past events in a narrative or storytelling context.

Historical Context

It can be used in historical writing or documents to discuss events that took place in the past.
Formal Writing
In formal or academic writing, especially in essays or reports, you might encounter the Passé Simple.

Interactions with other tenses

Passé Composé

In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the go-to tense for describing completed actions in the past. The Passé Simple is not commonly used in spoken language and is often replaced by the Passé Composé.

Imparfait

While the Passé Simple focuses on completed actions in the past, the Imparfait is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. They can sometimes be used together to provide a more detailed past narrative. For example, “Il lisait un livre quand il reçut un appel.” (He was reading a book when he received a call).

Conditional and Subjunctive

The Passé Simple can also be found in the conditional and subjunctive moods in formal writing. For instance, “Il faudrait qu’il partît” (He should leave, subjunctive).

Summary

The French Passé Simple is primarily used in formal or literary contexts, and its conjugation can be quite complex. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense for describing completed actions.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb cabotiner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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