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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bidouiller

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of bidouiller. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb bidouiller is “to tinker” or “to mess around with”. It is pronounced “bee-doo-yay”.

The language origin of bidouiller is derived from the word “bidouille”, which means “tinkering” or “fixing”. It is often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action that would have taken place in the past under certain conditions.

Examples of bidouiller in the Conditionnel Passé tense include:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais bidouillé avec cet ordinateur. (If I had more time, I would have tinkered with this computer.)

  2. Nous aurions pu bidouiller le moteur de la voiture pour qu’elle consomme moins d’essence. (We could have tinkered with the car’s engine so it would consume less gas.)

  3. Tu aurais dû me dire que tu avais besoin d’aide pour bidouiller ta voiture. (You should have told me you needed help tinkering with your car.)

English translations:

  1. If I had more time, I would have tinkered with this computer.

  2. We could have tinkered with the car’s engine so it would consume less gas.

  3. You should have told me you needed help tinkering with your car.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bidouillé Si j’avais eu plus de temps, je t’aurais bidouillé un cadeau. If I had more time, I would have made you a homemade gift.
tu aurais bidouillé Tu aurais bidouillé cette vieille voiture. You would have tinkered with that old car.
il aurait bidouillé Il aurait bidouillé avec son ordinateur toute la nuit. He would have been fiddling with his computer all night.
elle aurait bidouillé Elle aurait bidouillé ses vêtements pour les réparer. She would have been fixing her clothes.
on aurait bidouillé On aurait bidouillé un plan pour échapper à la foule. We would have come up with a plan to escape the crowd.
nous aurions bidouillé Nous aurions bidouillé un repas avec ce qu’il nous restait. We would have improvised a meal with whatever was left.
vous auriez bidouillé Vous auriez bidouillé votre CV. You would have tweaked your resume.
ils auraient bidouillé Ils auraient bidouillé des objets pour leur exposition. They would have tinkered with objects for their exhibition.
elles auraient bidouillé Elles auraient bidouillé des bijoux pour leur boutique. They (female) would have worked on jewelry for their boutique.

Other Conjugations for Bidouiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bidouiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the bidouiller Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Bidouiller – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb bidouiller. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply