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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bluffer

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The English translation of the French verb bluffer is “to bluff.” It is pronounced as “bluh-fay” in the infinitive form.

The word bluffer comes from the French word “bluff,” which means “deception” or “pretense.” It originated from the Dutch word “bluffen,” meaning “to brag” or “to deceive.”

In everyday French, bluffer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of bluffer used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. J’aurais bluffé si j’avais eu une meilleure main. (I would have bluffed if I had a better hand.)
  2. Elle aurait bluffé pour gagner la partie. (She would have bluffed to win the game.)
  3. Nous aurions bluffé si nous avions su que c’était une partie amicale. (We would have bluffed if we had known it was a friendly game.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bluffé Si j’avais su, j’aurais bluffé. I would have bluffed.
tu aurais bluffé Tu aurais bluffé plus tôt. You would have bluffed earlier.
il aurait bluffé Il aurait bluffé au poker. He would have bluffed at poker.
elle aurait bluffé Elle aurait bluffé à son examen. She would have bluffed on her exam.
on aurait bluffé On aurait bluffé pour gagner. One would have bluffed to win.
nous aurions bluffé Nous aurions bluffé ensemble. We would have bluffed together.
vous auriez bluffé Vous auriez bluffé à la réunion. You would have bluffed at the meeting.
ils auraient bluffé Ils auraient bluffé avec confiance. They would have bluffed confidently.
elles auraient bluffé Elles auraient bluffé pour gagner. They (female) would have bluffed to win.

Other Conjugations for Bluffer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bluffer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Bluffer – 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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