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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb biller

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The English translation of the French verb biller is “to bill” or “to invoice.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “bee-yay.”

The word “biller” comes from the Old French word “biller,” meaning “to register or record.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action that would have taken place in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais billé cette facture plus tôt. (If I had known, I would have invoiced this bill earlier.)
  2. Ils auraient billé leurs clients s’ils n’avaient pas eu de problème technique. (They would have billed their clients if they hadn’t had a technical issue.)
  3. Nous aurions dû biller les frais d’expédition dans le contrat. (We should have invoiced the shipping costs in the contract.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais billé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais billé. I would have made a bill for you.
tu aurais billé Tu aurais billé plus tôt. You would have made a bill earlier.
il aurait billé Il aurait billé la facture. He would have billed the invoice.
elle aurait billé Elle aurait billé ses clients. She would have billed her clients.
on aurait billé On aurait billé les dépenses. One would have billed the expenses.
nous aurions billé Nous aurions billé en euros. We would have billed in euros.
vous auriez billé Vous auriez billé avec eux. You would have billed with them.
ils auraient billé Ils auraient billé pour le travail. They would have billed for the work.
elles auraient billé Elles auraient billé les services. They (female) would have billed for the services.

Other Conjugations for Biller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Biller – 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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