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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb caboter

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The English translation of the French verb caboter is “to coast” or “to sail along the coast.” It is pronounced “kah-boh-teh” in the infinitive form.

Caboter comes from the Old French word “cabot,” which means “small sailing boat.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe sailing or traveling along the coast.

Examples in Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais caboté le long de la côte pendant des heures avant de trouver un endroit pour amarrer mon bateau. (I had coasted along the shore for hours before finding a place to dock my boat.)
  2. Les marins avaient caboté jusqu’à la prochaine ville pour acheter des provisions. (The sailors had sailed along the coast to the next town to buy provisions.)
  3. Nous avions caboté en Méditerranée pendant une semaine avant de rentrer chez nous. (We had been coasting in the Mediterranean for a week before returning home.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais caboté J’avais caboté sur la mer. I had coasted on the sea.
tu tu avais caboté Tu avais caboté le long de la côte. You had coasted along the coast.
il il avait caboté Il avait caboté près du rivage. He had coasted near the shore.
elle elle avait caboté Elle avait caboté jusqu’à l’île. She had coasted to the island.
on on avait caboté On avait caboté le long de la rivière. One had coasted along the river.
nous nous avions caboté Nous avions caboté pendant des heures. We had coasted for hours.
vous vous aviez caboté Vous aviez caboté sur le lac. You had coasted on the lake.
ils ils avaient caboté Ils avaient caboté sur l’océan. They had coasted on the ocean.
elles elles avaient caboté Elles avaient caboté près du port. They had coasted near the harbor.

Other Conjugations for Caboter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb caboter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Caboter – 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 caboter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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