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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bâter

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The English translation of the French verb bâter is “to beat” or “to win”. It is pronounced as “bah-tay”.

The origin of the verb bâter can be traced back to the Latin word “batere”, which means “to beat”. It is a regular -er verb and is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a past hypothetical action or situation.

Here are three simple examples of bâter used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais étudié plus, j’aurais bâtu mon examen. (If I had studied more, I would have passed my exam.)

  2. Ils auraient bâtu leur record si la course n’avait pas été annulée. (They would have beaten their record if the race had not been cancelled.)

  3. Nous serions bâtus si nous n’avions pas eu de l’aide. (We would have won if we had not received any help.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bâté Je l’aurais bâté plus vite. I would have beaten it faster.
tu aurais bâté Tu aurais bâté ton frère. You would have beaten your brother.
il aurait bâté Il aurait bâté le record. He would have beaten the record.
elle aurait bâté Elle aurait bâté son adversaire. She would have beaten her opponent.
on aurait bâté On aurait bâté l’équipe adverse. One would have beaten the opposing team.
nous aurions bâté Nous aurions bâté l’épreuve. We would have beaten the challenge.
vous auriez bâté Vous auriez bâté votre ennemi. You would have beaten your enemy.
ils auraient bâté Ils auraient bâté les autres équipes. They would have beaten the other teams.
elles auraient bâté Elles auraient bâté les meilleures équipes. They (female) would have beaten the best teams.

Other Conjugations for Bâter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bâter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Bâter – 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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