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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bouger

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The English translation of the French verb bouger is “to move.” It is pronounced as “boo-zhay” in the infinitive form.

The origin of the word bouger can be traced back to the Latin word “bullicare,” meaning to bubble or make noise. In Old French, it evolved into “bouger,” meaning to stir or move.

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have taken place in the past. The form of the verb in this tense is “aurais bougé,” which translates to “would have moved” in English.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais bougé plus tôt. (If I had known, I would have moved earlier.)
  2. Elle aurait bougé de la ville si elle avait obtenu le travail. (She would have moved out of the city if she had gotten the job.)
  3. Tu aurais bougé ta jambe si le médecin te l’avait demandé. (You would have moved your leg if the doctor had asked you to.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bougé Si j’avais su, j’aurais bougé. I would have moved.
tu aurais bougé Tu aurais bougé plus vite. You would have moved faster.
il aurait bougé Il aurait bougé son corps. He would have moved his body.
elle aurait bougé Elle aurait bougé vers la gauche. She would have moved to the left.
on aurait bougé On aurait bougé ensemble. One would have moved together.
nous aurions bougé Nous aurions bougé vers l’avant. We would have moved forward.
vous auriez bougé Vous auriez bougé avec eux. You would have moved with them.
ils auraient bougé Ils auraient bougé vers la mer. They would have moved towards the sea.
elles auraient bougé Elles auraient bougé en groupe. They (female) would have moved as a group.

Other Conjugations for Bouger.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bouger
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Bouger – 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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