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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cafter

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The English translation of the French verb cafter is “to betray” or “to snitch.” It is pronounced “kahf-ter.”

Cafter comes from the Old French word “caftier,” which meant to catch or seize. Over time, its meaning evolved to refer to the act of revealing someone’s secrets or betraying their trust. It is most commonly used in everyday French to describe the act of informing on someone, often in a negative or sneaky way.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, cafter is used to describe an action that had already been completed before another past action. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais cafté sur mon ami à ses parents. (I had snitched on my friend to his parents.)
  2. Tu avais cafté sur moi à ton chef. (You had betrayed me to your boss.)
  3. Il avait cafté sur elle à toute l’école. (He had ratted her out to the entire school.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais cafté J’avais cafté sur lui. I had tattled on him.
tu tu avais cafté Tu avais cafté sur elle. You had tattled on her.
il il avait cafté Il avait cafté sur moi. He had tattled on me.
elle elle avait cafté Elle avait cafté sur toi. She had tattled on you.
on on avait cafté On avait cafté sur eux. One had tattled on them.
nous nous avions cafté Nous avions cafté sur elles. We had tattled on them.
vous vous aviez cafté Vous aviez cafté sur nous. You had tattled on us.
ils ils avaient cafté Ils avaient cafté sur vous. They had tattled on you.
elles elles avaient cafté Elles avaient cafté sur moi. They had tattled on me.

Other Conjugations for Cafter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cafter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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