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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cabotiner

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The English translation of cabotiner is “to play the fool” or “to show off”. It is pronounced as “ka-boh-tee-nay”.

The word cabotiner is derived from the French noun “cabotin” which means “an actor who overacts or overplays their role”. It was first used in the 19th century and comes from the verb “caboter” which means “to make a small boat sail along the coast instead of going out to the open sea”.

In everyday French, cabotiner is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a wish, desire or a possibility that has already happened in the past. It is used in more formal or literary contexts and is often accompanied by the conjunction “que”.

Examples:

  1. Il aurait préféré que je ne cabotine pas devant ses amis. (He would have preferred that I didn’t show off in front of his friends.)

  2. Je suis heureux que vous ayez arrêté de cabotiner en classe. (I am glad that you have stopped fooling around in class.)

  3. Bien qu’elle ait cabotiné toute la soirée, elle n’a pas réussi à attirer l’attention de son crush. (Even though she showed off all evening, she couldn’t get her crush’s attention.)

English translations:

  1. He would have preferred that I didn’t show off in front of his friends.
  2. I am glad that you have stopped fooling around in class.
  3. Even though she showed off all evening, she couldn’t get her crush’s attention.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie cabotiné Je souhaite que j’aie cabotiné. I wish I had hammed it up.
tu aies cabotiné Je doute que tu aies cabotiné. I doubt you hammed it up.
il ait cabotiné Il est possible qu’il ait cabotiné. It’s possible he hammed it up.
elle ait cabotiné Elle craint qu’elle ait cabotiné. She fears she hammed it up.
on ait cabotiné On veut qu’on ait cabotiné. We want it to have been hammed up.
nous ayons cabotiné Espérons que nous ayons cabotiné. Let’s hope we hammed it up.
vous ayez cabotiné Il est important que vous ayez cabotiné. It’s important that you hammed it up.
ils aient cabotiné Ils doutent qu’ils aient cabotiné. They doubt they hammed it up.
elles aient cabotiné Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient cabotiné. They prefer they hammed it up.

Other Conjugations for Cabotiner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cabotiner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cabotiner     (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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