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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ballotter

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The English translation of the French verb ballotter is “to toss” or “to sway”. It is pronounced as bah-loh-teh.

The word “ballotter” comes from the Old French word “baleter” which means “to toss” or “to move back and forth”. It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to talk about a hypothetical or possible action in the past.

Here are three examples of the use of “ballotter” in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais balloté entre les deux options. (If I had had more time, I would have tossed between the two options.)
  2. Elle aurait balloté ses cheveux pour trouver la meilleure coiffure. (She would have swayed her hair to find the best hairstyle.)
  3. Nous aurions balloté nos idées avant de prendre une décision. (We would have tossed our ideas around before making a decision.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais balloté Si j’avais été là, je t’aurais balloté. If I had been there, I would have tossed you.
tu aurais balloté Tu aurais balloté la balle. You would have tossed the ball.
il aurait balloté Il aurait balloté le bateau en mer agitée. He would have rocked the boat in rough waters.
elle aurait balloté Elle aurait balloté son bébé pour l’endormir. She would have rocked her baby to sleep.
on aurait balloté On aurait balloté pendant des heures. One would have tossed for hours.
nous aurions balloté Nous aurions balloté ensemble sur le bateau. We would have rocked together on the boat.
vous auriez balloté Vous auriez balloté la poupée pour la calmer. You would have rocked the doll to calm her down.
ils auraient balloté Ils auraient balloté en chantant. They would have tossed while singing.
elles auraient balloté Elles auraient balloté les enfants pour les amuser. They (female) would have rocked the children to entertain them.

Other Conjugations for Ballotter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ballotter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Ballotter – 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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