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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bourder

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The English translation of the French verb bourder is “to make a mistake” or “to blunder.” It is pronounced as “boor-day” in the infinitive form.

The word bourder comes from the Old French word “bord” meaning “edge” or “border.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical situation in the past.

Example 1: Si j’avais su, je n’aurais pas bourdé lors de mon discours.
Translation: If I had known, I wouldn’t have made a mistake during my speech.

Example 2: Nous aurions gagné le match si l’arbitre n’avait pas bourdé.
Translation: We would have won the match if the referee hadn’t made a mistake.

Example 3: Elle se serait trompée de chemin si elle n’avait pas bourdé en lisant la carte.
Translation: She would have taken the wrong path if she hadn’t made a mistake while reading the map.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bourdé J’aurais bourdé si j’avais su. I would have blundered if I had known.
tu aurais bourdé Tu aurais bourdé si tu n’avais pas été distrait. You would have made a mistake if you hadn’t been distracted.
il aurait bourdé Il aurait bourdé s’il n’avait pas vérifié ses calculs. He would have messed up if he hadn’t double-checked his calculations.
elle aurait bourdé Elle aurait bourdé si elle n’avait pas ri. She would have slipped up if she hadn’t laughed.
on aurait bourdé On aurait bourdé si on n’avait pas fait attention. One would have made a mistake if one hadn’t paid attention.
nous aurions bourdé Nous aurions bourdé sans l’aide de notre professeur. We would have made a mistake without the help of our teacher.
vous auriez bourdé Vous auriez bourdé si vous n’aviez pas suivi les instructions. You would have blundered if you hadn’t followed the instructions.
ils auraient bourdé Ils auraient bourdé s’ils n’avaient pas pris le temps de réfléchir. They would have made a mistake if they hadn’t taken the time to think.
elles auraient bourdé Elles auraient bourdé en prenant cette décision. They (female) would have made a mistake by making that decision.

Other Conjugations for Bourder.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bourder
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Bourder – 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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