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

Introduction to the verb bourriquer

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The English translation of the French verb bourriquer is “to stumble” or “to trip”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “boor-ee-keh”.

The origin of bourriquer can be traced back to the Old French word “bourri,” meaning a heap of rubbish or debris. It is derived from the Latin word “burra,” meaning a mass of wool or coarse material. Over time, the word evolved to mean “to stumble” or “to trip,” likely due to the idea of getting stuck or tangled in a pile of debris.

In everyday French, bourriquer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or future action in the past. It is formed with the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of bourriquer.

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

  1. Si tu avais été plus attentif, tu n’aurais pas bourriqué dans les escaliers.
    Translation: If you had been more careful, you wouldn’t have stumbled on the stairs.

  2. J’aurais pu gagner la course, mais j’ai bourriqué juste avant l’arrivée.
    Translation: I could have won the race, but I stumbled just before the finish line.

  3. Nous serions arrivés à l’heure si nous n’avions pas bourriqué sur la route.
    Translation: We would have arrived on time if we hadn’t stumbled on the road.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bourriqué Si j’avais su, je t’aurais bourriqué. I would have burroed you.
tu aurais bourriqué Tu aurais bourriqué plus tôt. You would have burroed earlier.
il aurait bourriqué Il aurait bourriqué le chemin. He would have burroed the path.
elle aurait bourriqué Elle aurait bourriqué mon sac. She would have burroed my bag.
on aurait bourriqué On aurait bourriqué les bagages. One would have burroed the luggage.
nous aurions bourriqué Nous aurions bourriqué le bois. We would have burroed the wood.
vous auriez bourriqué Vous auriez bourriqué le chemin. You would have burroed the path.
ils auraient bourriqué Ils auraient bourriqué la ville. They would have burroed the town.
elles auraient bourriqué Elles auraient bourriqué le bois. They (female) would have burroed the wood.

Other Conjugations for Bourriquer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bourriquer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Bourriquer – 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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