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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb barbouiller

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The English translation of the French verb barbouiller is “to smudge” or “to make a mess”. It is pronounced as “bar-boo-yay”.

The language origin of barbouiller comes from the Old French word “barbouil” which means “to be covered in mud or dirt”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have happened in the past.

Here are three examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si tu avais peint le mur, tu l’aurais barbouillé. (If you had painted the wall, you would have smudged it.)
  2. Nous aurions barbouillé nos vêtements si nous avions mangé des crêpes. (We would have made a mess of our clothes if we had eaten crepes.)
  3. Elle aurait barbouillé le dessin si elle avait utilisé de l’aquarelle. (She would have smudged the drawing if she had used watercolor.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais barbouillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais barbouillé. I would have scribbled on you.
tu aurais barbouillé Tu aurais barbouillé le papier. You would have scribbled on the paper.
il aurait barbouillé Il aurait barbouillé le tableau. He would have scribbled on the painting.
elle aurait barbouillé Elle aurait barbouillé son visage. She would have smeared her face.
on aurait barbouillé On aurait barbouillé les murs. One would have scribbled on the walls.
nous aurions barbouillé Nous aurions barbouillé le sol. We would have scribbled on the floor.
vous auriez barbouillé Vous auriez barbouillé le tableau. You would have scribbled on the painting.
ils auraient barbouillé Ils auraient barbouillé les vêtements. They would have smeared their clothes.
elles auraient barbouillé Elles auraient barbouillé les livres. They (female) would have scribbled on the books.

Other Conjugations for Barbouiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb barbouiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Barbouiller – 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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