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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bouffer

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The English translation of the French verb bouffer is “to stuff one’s face” or “to gobble up.” The infinitive form, bouffer, is pronounced “boo-fay.”

The word bouffer comes from the colloquial French term “buf,” which means “to eat.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to express actions that would have happened in the past under certain conditions.

Three simple examples of using bouffer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais su qu’il y aurait tant de nourriture, j’aurais bouffé à la fête hier soir. (If I had known there would be so much food, I would have stuffed my face at the party last night.)

  2. Est-ce que tu aurais bouffé le gâteau si je ne t’avais pas arrêté? (Would you have gobbled up the cake if I hadn’t stopped you?)

  3. Nous aurions bouffé tout le fromage si nous étions restés plus longtemps en France. (We would have eaten all the cheese if we had stayed longer in France.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bouffé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais bouffé. I would have eaten you up.
tu aurais bouffé Tu aurais bouffé plus tôt. You would have eaten earlier.
il aurait bouffé Il aurait bouffé du chocolat. He would have devoured chocolate.
elle aurait bouffé Elle aurait bouffé tout le gâteau. She would have chowed down the entire cake.
on aurait bouffé On aurait bouffé des frites. One would have devoured fries.
nous aurions bouffé Nous aurions bouffé ensemble. We would have eaten together.
vous auriez bouffé Vous auriez bouffé avec eux. You would have eaten with them.
ils auraient bouffé Ils auraient bouffé des hamburgers. They would have chowed down hamburgers.
elles auraient bouffé Elles auraient bouffé des légumes. They (female) would have eaten vegetables.

Other Conjugations for Bouffer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bouffer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Bouffer – 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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