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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cabaler

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The English translation of the French verb cabaler is “to scheme” or “to plot.” It is pronounced “ka-bah-leh” in its infinitive form.

The word cabaler comes from the Latin word “caballus,” meaning horse, and originally referred to the act of planning or preparing a horse for a race or competition. Over time, it evolved to also mean planning or scheming in a more general sense.

In everyday French, cabaler is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait (past perfect) tense to indicate an action that had been schemed or planned prior to another action in the past. It is typically translated as “had schemed” or “had plotted” in English.

Examples:

  1. Ils avaient cabalé toute la nuit avant de se présenter à l’examen. (They had schemed all night before taking the exam.)
  2. Elle avait cabalé avec ses collègues pour obtenir une promotion. (She had plotted with her colleagues to get a promotion.)
  3. Nous avions cabalé depuis des semaines avant de mettre notre plan à exécution. (We had been scheming for weeks before putting our plan into action.)

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of cabaler

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais cabalé J’avais cabalé pour le poste. I had schemed for the position.
tu tu avais cabalé Tu avais cabalé contre lui. You had conspired against him.
il il avait cabalé Il avait cabalé avec ses amis. He had plotted with his friends.
elle elle avait cabalé Elle avait cabalé pour gagner. She had plotted to win.
on on avait cabalé On avait cabalé pour le succès. One had schemed for success.
nous nous avions cabalé Nous avions cabalé pour le résultat. We had plotted for the outcome.
vous vous aviez cabalé Vous aviez cabalé pour le projet. You had conspired for the project.
ils ils avaient cabalé Ils avaient cabalé pour la victoire. They had conspired for the victory.
elles elles avaient cabalé Elles avaient cabalé pour l’argent. They had plotted for the money.

Other Conjugations for Cabaler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cabaler
   

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

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

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

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

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cabaler     (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Cabaler – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “être” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangé (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlé (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient joué (They had played)
2. With “être” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’étais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu étais arrivé(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on était tombé(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous étions resté(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous étiez né(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles étaient monté(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangé avant qu’il ne soit arrivé” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivé, ils avaient déjà fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passé composé (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passé composé describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi différemment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

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

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