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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb béquer

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The English translation of the French verb béquer is “to peck” or “to nibble.” It is pronounced as “bay-kay.”

The language origin of béquer can be traced back to the Old French word “bequer,” meaning “to peck” or “to snap.” It is derived from the Latin word “biccare,” which also means “to peck.”

In everyday French, béquer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express an action that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions were met.

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

  1. Si tu avais été là, tu aurais béqué toutes les friandises. (If you had been there, you would have nibbled on all the candies.)
  2. Nous aurions béqué ces délicieux petits gâteaux si nous avions eu plus de temps. (We would have pecked at these delicious little cakes if we had had more time.)
  3. Elle aurait béqué tout le pain si elle n’avait pas été au régime. (She would have nibbled all the bread if she hadn’t been on a diet.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bêqué Si j’avais su, je t’aurais bêqué. I would have pecked you.
tu aurais bêqué Tu aurais bêqué plus tôt. You would have pecked earlier.
il aurait bêqué Il aurait bêqué la nourriture. He would have pecked the food.
elle aurait bêqué Elle aurait bêqué le pain. She would have pecked the bread.
on aurait bêqué On aurait bêqué tout ce qu’il y a sur la table. One would have pecked everything on the table.
nous aurions bêqué Nous aurions bêqué de bon coeur. We would have pecked with pleasure.
vous auriez bêqué Vous auriez bêqué avec nous. You would have pecked with us.
ils auraient bêqué Ils auraient bêqué le matin. They would have pecked in the morning.
elles auraient bêqué Elles auraient bêqué le repas. They (female) would have pecked the meal.

Other Conjugations for Béquer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb béquer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Béquer – 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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