Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive 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 snitch” or “to inform on someone”. It is pronounced as “kah-ftay”.

The word cafter comes from the Old French word “caftier” which means “to inform”. It is most often used in everyday French to describe someone who betrays or reveals secrets or information about others. It can also be used to describe someone who is a tattletale or informant.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, cafter is conjugated as “j’eusse cafté” or “tu eusses cafté” for the first and second person singular pronouns. Some examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si tu eusses cafté à la police, toutes mes affaires auraient été ruinées. (If you had snitched to the police, all my affairs would have been ruined.)

  2. J’eusse cafté à mes parents si j’avais su que tu avais fait une bêtise. (I would have snitched to my parents if I had known you did something wrong.)

  3. Si elle eût cafté à son patron, il l’aurait sûrement renvoyée. (If she had snitched to her boss, he would have surely fired her.)

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

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

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
   

    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
    (this article)

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

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