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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb baver

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The English translation of the French verb baver is “to drool”. It is pronounced as “bah-veh”.

The word baver comes from the Old French word “bave”, meaning “saliva”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past.

Here are three examples of baver in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais vu ce gâteau, j’aurais bavé. (If I had seen that cake, I would have drooled.)
  2. Il aurait bavé devant cet énorme steak. (He would have drooled over that huge steak.)
  3. Nous serions bavés d’envie si nous avions vu ce concert en direct. (We would have drooled with envy if we had seen that concert live.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bavé J’aurais bavé en voyant ça. I would have drooled seeing that.
tu aurais bavé Tu aurais bavé de jalousie. You would have drooled with jealousy.
il aurait bavé Il aurait bavé en dormant. He would have drooled in his sleep.
elle aurait bavé Elle aurait bavé en rêvant. She would have drooled while dreaming.
on aurait bavé On aurait bavé en parlant de nourriture. One would have drooled while talking about food.
nous aurions bavé Nous aurions bavé devant ce spectacle. We would have drooled in front of this show.
vous auriez bavé Vous auriez bavé en voyant ça. You would have drooled seeing that.
ils auraient bavé Ils auraient bavé en regardant le menu. They would have drooled while looking at the menu.
elles auraient bavé Elles auraient bavé en admirant le gâteau. They (female) would have drooled while admiring the cake.

Other Conjugations for Baver.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb baver
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Baver – 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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