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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bourdonner

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The English translation of the French verb bourdonner is “to buzz” or “to hum”. It is pronounced as “boor-doh-nay”.

The word bourdonner comes from the Old French word “bordon”, meaning “a deep, humming sound”. It is most often used in everyday French language in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais entendu les abeilles bourdonner, j’aurais su qu’il y avait un nid dans le jardin. (If I had heard the bees buzzing, I would have known there was a nest in the garden.)

  2. Nous aurions dû être plus prudents, les moustiques ont bourdonné toute la nuit. (We should have been more careful, the mosquitoes buzzed all night.)

  3. Tu aurais été surpris d’entendre la ruche bourdonner si tôt le matin. (You would have been surprised to hear the hive buzzing so early in the morning.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bourdonné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais bourdonné. I would have buzzed at you.
tu aurais bourdonné Tu aurais bourdonné plus tôt. You would have buzzed earlier.
il aurait bourdonné Il aurait bourdonné dans la rue. He would have buzzed in the street.
elle aurait bourdonné Elle aurait bourdonné à l’oreille. She would have buzzed in the ear.
on aurait bourdonné On aurait bourdonné dans la maison. One would have buzzed in the house.
nous aurions bourdonné Nous aurions bourdonné comme des abeilles. We would have buzzed like bees.
vous auriez bourdonné Vous auriez bourdonné avec eux. You would have buzzed with them.
ils auraient bourdonné Ils auraient bourdonné toute la nuit. They would have buzzed all night.
elles auraient bourdonné Elles auraient bourdonné dans les fleurs. They (female) would have buzzed in the flowers.

Other Conjugations for Bourdonner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bourdonner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Bourdonner – 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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