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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cabotiner

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The English translation of the French verb cabotiner is “to act like a show-off” or “to show off.”

The infinitive form of cabotiner is pronounced “kah-boh-tee-nay.”

The language origin of cabotiner comes from the French noun “cabotin,” which refers to a person who acts foolishly or extravagantly on stage. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a hypothetical or unreal action that happened in the past.

Three examples of its usage in this tense with their English translations are:

  1. Il aurait cabotiné pendant tout le spectacle si le directeur ne l’avait pas arrêté.
    (He would have shown off during the whole show if the director hadn’t stopped him.)

  2. J’aurais préféré qu’il ne cabotine pas autant lors de la présentation.
    (I would have preferred if he didn’t show off so much during the presentation.)

  3. Elle aurait été choquée si elle avait vu son fils cabotiner ainsi devant ses amis.
    (She would have been shocked if she had seen her son showing off like that in front of his friends.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse cabotiné J’aurais aimé que je eusse cabotiné. I wish I had hammed it up.
tu eusses cabotiné J’aurais aimé que tu eusses cabotiné. I wish you had hammed it up.
il eût cabotiné J’aurais aimé qu’il eût cabotiné. I wish he had hammed it up.
elle eût cabotiné J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût cabotiné. I wish she had hammed it up.
on eût cabotiné J’aurais aimé qu’on eût cabotiné. I wish one had hammed it up.
nous eussions cabotiné J’aurais aimé que nous eussions cabotiné. I wish we had hammed it up.
vous eussiez cabotiné J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez cabotiné. I wish you had hammed it up.
ils eussent cabotiné J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent cabotiné. I wish they had hammed it up.
elles eussent cabotiné J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent cabotiné. I wish they had 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
   

    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
    (this article)

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Cabotiner – About the French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, also known as the Pluperfect Subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions or states that occurred before another action in the past, and it’s used in situations where the indicative mood is in the past subjunctive or conditional mood.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, you start with the imperfect subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
For “avoir” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “avoir” (e.g., j’eusse, tu eusses, il/elle eût, nous eussions, vous eussiez, ils/elles eussent). Add the past participle of the main verb. 
For “être” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “être” (e.g., je fusse, tu fusses, il/elle fût, nous fussions, vous fussiez, ils/elles fussent). Add the past participle of the main verb.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Hypothetical Situations

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is often used to express hypothetical or unreal actions that occurred before another past action.
For example: J’aurais aimé que tu aies fini ton travail avant que je sois arrivé. (I would have liked for you to have finished your work before I arrived.) 

Reported Speech

In reported speech, you may use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait to convey what someone said or thought in the past. 
For example: Il m’a dit qu’il avait peur que je n’aie pas compris. (He told me that he was afraid that I hadn’t understood.) 

Doubt, Wishes, and Emotions

This tense can also be used to express doubt, wishes, and emotions about past actions. 
For example: Je doutais qu’il eût dit la vérité. (I doubted that he had told the truth.) 
J’aurais souhaité que tu fusses venu. (I would have wished for you to have come.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Subjunctive

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to describe past actions when the main verb is in the present subjunctive. 
For example: “Il faut que j’aie fini mon travail avant que tu partes.” (I must have finished my work before you leave.) 

Imperfect Subjunctive

It’s common to use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait with the imperfect subjunctive in complex sentences. 
For example: “Il m’avait dit qu’il fût rentré avant la fin de la journée.” (He had told me that he had returned before the end of the day.) 

Conditional

When the main verb is in the conditional mood, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to express past unreal conditions. 
For example: “Si j’avais su, j’aurais voulu que tu aies réussi.” (If I had known, I would have wanted you to have succeeded.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is a complex tense used to convey nuanced meanings in French. While its usage may seem intricate, it becomes more intuitive with practice and exposure to the language. It’s important to understand the context in which it’s used, as it often conveys subtleties of time, conditionality, and emotion in French sentences.

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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