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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb babiller

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The English translation of the French verb babiller is “to babble” or “to chatter”. The infinitive form, babiller, is pronounced as “bah-bee-yay”.

The language origin of babiller can be traced back to the Old French verb “babillier”, which meant “to prattle or babble”. It is derived from the Latin word “babulus”, meaning “a stammerer”.

In everyday French, babiller is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of the verb.

Here are 3 simple examples of babiller used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su que tu étais là, j’aurais babillé toute la soirée avec toi. (If I had known you were there, I would have babbled all evening with you.)

  2. Je t’aurais écouté si tu n’avais pas babillé tout le temps. (I would have listened to you if you hadn’t babbled all the time.)

  3. Elle aurait babillé toute la nuit si je ne l’avais pas interrompue. (She would have babbled all night if I hadn’t interrupted her.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais babillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais babillé. I would have babbled to you.
tu aurais babillé Tu aurais babillé plus tôt. You would have babbled earlier.
il aurait babillé Il aurait babillé du film. He would have babbled about the movie.
elle aurait babillé Elle aurait babillé à sa mère. She would have babbled to her mother.
on aurait babillé On aurait babillé de tout ça. One would have babbled about all of that.
nous aurions babillé Nous aurions babillé en français. We would have babbled in French.
vous auriez babillé Vous auriez babillé avec eux. You would have babbled with them.
ils auraient babillé Ils auraient babillé de politique. They would have babbled about politics.
elles auraient babillé Elles auraient babillé à leurs amis. They (female) would have babbled to their friends.

Other Conjugations for Babiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb babiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Babiller – 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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