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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affabuler

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The English translation of the French verb affabuler is “to fabricate/to make up/to weave stories”. The infinitive form is pronounced “ah-fah-byoo-lay”.

Affabuler comes from the Latin word “fabula” meaning “story/tale”. It is often used in everyday French to describe someone who tends to exaggerate or make up stories.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, affabuler is used to express a past event that was not real or may not have happened.

Examples:

  1. Il m’aurait affabulé plusieurs histoires drôles lors de la soirée hier soir. (He would have made up several funny stories during last night’s party.)
  2. Si tu avais affabulé cette excuse, tu n’aurais pas été aussi convaincant. (If you had fabricated this excuse, you wouldn’t have been as convincing.)
  3. Elle aurait affabulé une fausse identité pour obtenir le poste. (She would have woven a false identity to get the job.)

Table of the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of affabuler

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais affabulé Si j’avais su, j’aurais affabulé. I would have made up stories.
tu aurais affabulé Tu aurais affabulé avec moi. You would have made up stories with me.
il aurait affabulé Il aurait affabulé pour impressionner. He would have made up stories to impress.
elle aurait affabulé Elle aurait affabulé sur sa vie. She would have made up stories about her life.
on aurait affabulé On aurait affabulé toute la nuit. One would have made up stories all night.
nous aurions affabulé Nous aurions affabulé sur nos vacances. We would have made up stories about our vacation.
vous auriez affabulé Vous auriez affabulé pour amuser les enfants. You would have made up stories to entertain the children.
ils auraient affabulé Ils auraient affabulé pour gagner de l’argent. They would have made up stories to make money.
elles auraient affabulé Elles auraient affabulé sur leur avenir. They (female) would have made up stories about their future.

Other Conjugations for Affabuler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affabuler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affabuler  (this article)

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

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


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Affabuler – About the French Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Passé” is a compound tense used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is formed by combining the conditional of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

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

Formation

Start with the conditional of the auxiliary verb: For most verbs, use “aurais” (for “avoir”) or “serais” (for “être”) as the conditional form. 

With “avoir”: j’aurais, tu aurais, il/elle/on aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez, ils/elles auraient. 
With “être”: je serais, tu serais, il/elle/on serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils/elles seraient. 

Add the past participle of the main verb to this conditional form. 
For example, if you want to say “I would have done,” you would use “j’aurais fait.” If you want to say “She would have gone,” you would use “elle serait allée.”

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Unreal Past Scenarios

The Conditionnel Passé is often used to talk about actions that did not happen in the past, but you are speculating about what would have occurred if they had. It’s a way to discuss hypothetical situations in the past. 

Si j’avais su, je t’aurais aidé. (If I had known, I would have helped you.)
Il serait venu s’il avait eu le temps. (He would have come if he had had the time.) 

Polite Requests or Suggestions

It can be used to make polite requests or suggestions in the past. 

Pourriez-vous m’aider, s’il vous plaît ? (Could you have helped me, please?) 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

It can convey doubt or uncertainty regarding past events.

Il aurait peut-être oublié notre rendez-vous. (He might have forgotten our appointment.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Conditional Present

You can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional present to describe past actions that were hypothetical at the time they were spoken about. J’aurais aimé que tu m’appelles hier. (I would have liked you to call me yesterday.) 

Indicative Past Tenses

You might use the Conditionnel Passé alongside indicative past tenses like the passé composé to contrast hypothetical and real past events. Il est venu hier, mais s’il avait pu, il serait venu la semaine dernière. (He came yesterday, but if he could have, he would have come last week.) 

Conditional Future

In some cases, you can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional future to discuss unreal past events that could have consequences in the future. Si j’avais réussi mon examen, j’aurais un meilleur travail. (If I had passed my exam, I would have a better job.)

Summary

In summary, the Conditionnel Passé is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is often used in conjunction with other tenses to convey various nuances in French, allowing speakers to discuss imaginary past scenarios, make polite requests, or express doubt about past events.

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