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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bégayer

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The English translation of the French verb bégayer is “to stutter.” It is pronounced as “beh-ga-yay” in its infinitive form.

Bégayer comes from the Old French word “begaier,” which means “to stammer.” It is derived from the Latin word “balbutire,” which also means “to stammer.” In everyday French, bégayer is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to express an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met.

Here are three simple examples of bégayer in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais été plus nerveux, j’aurais bégayé pendant mon discours. (If I had been more nervous, I would have stuttered during my speech.)

  2. Ils auraient bégayé s’ils avaient su qu’ils devaient parler en public. (They would have stuttered if they had known they had to speak in public.)

  3. J’aurais bégayé devant toutes ces personnes. (I would have stuttered in front of all these people.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais béguayé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais béguayé. I would have stuttered to you.
tu aurais béguayé Tu aurais béguayé plus fort. You would have stuttered louder.
il aurait béguayé Il aurait béguayé en faisant une présentation. He would have stuttered while giving a presentation.
elle aurait béguayé Elle aurait béguayé pendant le discours. She would have stuttered during the speech.
on aurait béguayé On aurait béguayé en présence d’inconnus. One would have stuttered in front of strangers.
nous aurions béguayé Nous aurions béguayé ensemble. We would have stuttered together.
vous auriez béguayé Vous auriez béguayé sur le sujet. You would have stuttered about the topic.
ils auraient béguayé Ils auraient béguayé devant les caméras. They would have stuttered in front of the cameras.
elles auraient béguayé Elles auraient béguayé lors de la présentation. They (female) would have stuttered during the presentation.

Other Conjugations for Bégayer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bégayer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Bégayer – 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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