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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb barrer

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The English translation of the French verb barrer is “to block/to bar/to cross out.” The infinitive form of barrer is pronounced “bah-reh.”

Barrer comes from the Old French word “barre,” meaning “bar.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical action or situation that would have happened in the past under certain conditions.

Three simple examples of how barrer is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais barré mon nom de la liste. (If I had known, I would have crossed out my name from the list.)

  2. Elle aurait barré la route pour empêcher les voitures de passer. (She would have blocked the road to prevent cars from passing.)

  3. Nous aurions barré toutes les options sauf une. (We would have eliminated all options except one.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais barré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais barré. I would have crossed you out.
tu aurais barré Tu aurais barré cette erreur. You would have crossed out this mistake.
il aurait barré Il aurait barré la route. He would have blocked the road.
elle aurait barré Elle aurait barré la porte. She would have locked the door.
on aurait barré On aurait barré l’accès. One would have closed off the access.
nous aurions barré Nous aurions barré la fenêtre. We would have barred the window.
vous auriez barré Vous auriez barré l’entrée. You would have blocked the entrance.
ils auraient barré Ils auraient barré l’accès. They would have barred the access.
elles auraient barré Elles auraient barré la porte. They (female) would have locked the door.

Other Conjugations for Barrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb barrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Barrer – 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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