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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cacarder

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The English translation of the French verb cacarder is “to cackle” or “to quack”. It is pronounced as “kah-kar-dey” in its infinitive form.

The word cacarder comes from the onomatopoeic sound “cra-cra” which is used to imitate the sound of a cackling or quacking animal. It is most commonly associated with the sound of a duck, hence its meaning in French.

In everyday French, cacarder is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to express an action that had been completed before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of cacarder in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais cacardé avant qu’il ne rentre à la maison. (I had cackled before he came back home.)
  2. Tu avais cacardé toute la soirée. (You had cackled all evening.)
  3. Ils étaient partis quand le coq avait cacardé. (They had left when the rooster cackled.)

In these examples, you can see that the action of cacarder had already happened before another past action took place. In the first sentence, the person had cackled before the other person came home. In the second sentence, the person had cackled for the entire evening. And in the third sentence, the rooster cackled before they left.

Overall, cacarder is a playful and vivid verb that is commonly used in everyday French to describe the sound of cackling or quacking animals. It is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to express completed actions in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais cacardé J’avais cacardé toute la journée. I had cackled all day.
tu tu avais cacardé Tu avais cacardé trop fort. You had cackled too loudly.
il il avait cacardé Il avait cacardé avec les autres. He had cackled with the others.
elle elle avait cacardé Elle avait cacardé dans le parc. She had cackled in the park.
on on avait cacardé On avait cacardé sans cesse. One had cackled incessantly.
nous nous avions cacardé Nous avions cacardé ensemble. We had cackled together.
vous vous aviez cacardé Vous aviez cacardé toute la nuit. You had cackled all night.
ils ils avaient cacardé Ils avaient cacardé à tue-tête. They had cackled at the top of their lungs.
elles elles avaient cacardé Elles avaient cacardé pendant des heures. They had cackled for hours.

Other Conjugations for Cacarder.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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