Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) 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-ba-leh.”

The word “cabaler” comes from the noun “câble,” meaning “cable” or “rope,” and the suffix “-er,” which is used to form verbs in French. Originally, it referred to making plans or arrangements using ropes, but over time, it has come to mean scheming or plotting in a more general sense.

In everyday French, the verb cabaler is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is a grammatical mood used to express actions or ideas that are uncertain or hypothetical. In this tense, it is conjugated as “aie cabalé” for the first person singular, “aies cabalé” for the second person singular, “ait cabalé” for the third person singular, “ayons cabalé” for the first person plural, “ayez cabalé” for the second person plural, and “aient cabalé” for the third person plural.

Here are three simple examples of cabaler in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. J’espère que vous n’ayez pas cabalé contre moi. (I hope you didn’t plot against me.)
  2. Il est possible qu’elle ait cabalé avec ses collègues pour obtenir une promotion. (It is possible that she schemed with her colleagues to get a promotion.)
  3. Nous craignons qu’ils aient cabalé pour saboter notre projet. (We fear that they may have plotted to sabotage our project.)

Table of the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of cabaler

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie cabalé Je crains que j’aie cabalé. I fear that I put together a scheme.
tu aies cabalé Il faut que tu aies cabalé. You must have put together a scheme.
il ait cabalé Il est possible qu’il ait cabalé. It’s possible he put together a scheme.
elle ait cabalé Elle craint qu’elle ait cabalé. She fears she put together a scheme.
on ait cabalé On veut qu’on ait cabalé. We want it to have been put together as a scheme.
nous ayons cabalé Espérons que nous ayons cabalé. Let’s hope we put together a scheme.
vous ayez cabalé Il est important que vous ayez cabalé. It’s important that you put together a scheme.
ils aient cabalé Ils doutent qu’ils aient cabalé. They doubt they put together a scheme.
elles aient cabalé Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient cabalé. They prefer they put together a scheme.

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
   

    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     (this article)

    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 Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense

The French Subjonctif Passé is a verb tense used to express actions or states that are uncertain, hypothetical, or dependent on some condition in the past. It’s often used in conjunction with the main verb in the present or future tense to convey various nuances of doubt, desire, necessity, or emotion.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation of the Subjonctif Passé

To form the Subjonctif Passé, you generally need to start with the third person plural (ils/elles) form of the passé composé (a compound past tense). Then, drop the subject and replace it with the appropriate Subjonctif endings. The endings are the same for regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs:

   – For -er verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent
   – For -ir verbs: -isse, -isses, -ît, -issions, -issiez, -issent
   – For -re verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent

For example, if you have the verb “parler” (to speak) in the third person plural passé composé, which is “ils ont parlé” (they spoke), the Subjonctif Passé form would be “qu’ils aient parlé” (that they spoke).

Everyday Usage Patterns

The Subjonctif Passé is commonly used in various situations:

– Expressing doubt or uncertainty: It’s used when you’re not certain about the completion of an action in the past. For example, “Je doute qu’il ait mangé” (I doubt that he ate).

– Desires and preferences: When you want or wish for something to have happened in the past. For instance, “Je préfère que tu aies réussi” (I prefer that you have succeeded).

– Expressing emotions: To convey emotions or feelings related to past actions or events. For example, “Il est content que nous ayons gagné” (He is happy that we won).

– Hypothetical situations: When discussing hypothetical or unreal past situations. For example, “Si j’avais su, j’aurais souhaité qu’ils aient été là” (If I had known, I would have wished they had been there).

Interactions with Other Tenses

The Subjonctif Passé often interacts with other tenses to convey specific meanings:

Present tense

It’s commonly used after expressions of doubt, desire, necessity, or emotion in the present. For example, “Il faut que tu aies fini” (You must have finished).

Future tense

It’s used in the future for hypothetical or unreal actions in the past when the main clause is in the future. For example, “Je douterai qu’ils aient terminé demain” (I will doubt that they have finished tomorrow).

Conditional

When the main clause is in the conditional, the Subjonctif Passé can be used to express unreal or hypothetical actions in the past. For instance, “Il voudrait que nous ayons réussi” (He would like us to have succeeded).

Summary

The Subjonctif Passé is a versatile tense used in French to convey uncertainty, doubt, desire, or hypothetical situations related to past actions. It is used in various everyday contexts and interacts with other tenses to express specific nuances in the language.

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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