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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb claboter

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The English translation of the French verb claboter is “to paddle,” “to splash,” or “to flounder.” The infinitive form, claboter, is pronounced “kla-boh-tay.”

Claboter comes from the French word clabaud, meaning “to make a loud noise,” and the suffix -oter, indicating a repeated or continuous action. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that occurred before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of claboter used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies claboté dans l’eau avec nous hier. (I would have liked for you to have splashed in the water with us yesterday.)

  2. Si nous avions fait du canoë, nous aurions claboté tout le long de la rivière. (If we had gone canoeing, we would have paddled all along the river.)

  3. Il aurait été préférable qu’elle n’ait pas claboté autant lors de la bataille d’eau. (It would have been better if she hadn’t splashed so much during the water fight.)

In these examples, claboter is used to describe a past action that may or may not have occurred, and is often used in a hypothetical or wishing context. In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, it is often paired with auxiliary verbs such as avoir or être, as well as other past tense verbs to indicate the preceding action.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Claboter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb claboter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb claboter
    (this article)

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

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