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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb jaboter

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The English translation of the French verb jaboter is “to chit-chat” or “to gossip”. The infinitive form is pronounced “zhah-boh-tay”.

The word jaboter comes from the French word “jabot”, meaning “frill” or “ruffle”, which refers to the fancy and often exaggerated collars worn by men in the 17th and 18th centuries. Jaboter was originally used to describe someone who talks excessively and with great flourish, much like the frills on a jabot collar.

In everyday French, jaboter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action.

Here are 3 examples of jaboter used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. Ils avaient jaboté toute la soirée avant que je n’arrive. (They had chit-chatted all evening before I arrived.)
  2. J’avais entendu dire qu’elle avait beaucoup jaboté sur moi en mon absence. (I had heard she had gossiped a lot about me in my absence.)
  3. Vous aviez déjà jaboté à mon sujet lorsque j’ai rejoint la conversation. (You had already been chit-chatting about me when I joined the conversation.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais jaboté J’avais jaboté toute la journée. I had chatted all day.
tu tu avais jaboté Tu avais jaboté avec tes amis. You had chatted with your friends.
il il avait jaboté Il avait jaboté au téléphone. He had chatted on the phone.
elle elle avait jaboté Elle avait jaboté sur les réseaux sociaux. She had chatted on social media.
on on avait jaboté On avait jaboté pendant des heures. One had chatted for hours.
nous nous avions jaboté Nous avions jaboté de tout et de rien. We had chatted about everything and nothing.
vous vous aviez jaboté Vous aviez jaboté toute la soirée. You had chatted all evening.
ils ils avaient jaboté Ils avaient jaboté de leurs vacances. They had chatted about their holidays.
elles elles avaient jaboté Elles avaient jaboté des potins. They had chatted about gossip.

Other Conjugations for Jaboter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb jaboter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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