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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bousiller

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The English translation of the French verb bousiller is “to ruin” or “to break.” It is pronounced [boo-zee-yay].

The origin of bousiller can be traced back to the Old French word “bouciller,” which meant “to spoil” or “to corrupt.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action that would have occurred in the past.

Here are three simple examples of bousiller in the Conditionnel Passé tense and their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus d’argent, je n’aurais pas bousillé ma voiture. (If I had had more money, I wouldn’t have ruined my car.)

  2. Tu aurais dû être plus prudent, tu aurais pu bousiller le vase en cristal. (You should have been more careful, you could have broken the crystal vase.)

  3. S’ils avaient écouté mes conseils, ils n’auraient pas bousillé leur mariage. (If they had listened to my advice, they wouldn’t have ruined their marriage.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bousillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais bousillé. I would have messed you up.
tu aurais bousillé Tu aurais bousillé mon ordinateur. You would have destroyed my computer.
il aurait bousillé Il aurait bousillé ses vêtements. He would have ruined his clothes.
elle aurait bousillé Elle aurait bousillé sa coiffure. She would have messed up her hair.
on aurait bousillé On aurait bousillé le projet. One would have messed up the project.
nous aurions bousillé Nous aurions bousillé la fête. We would have ruined the party.
vous auriez bousillé Vous auriez bousillé votre chance. You would have blown your chance.
ils auraient bousillé Ils auraient bousillé leur amitié. They would have destroyed their friendship.
elles auraient bousillé Elles auraient bousillé le cadeau. They (female) would have ruined the gift.

Other Conjugations for Bousiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bousiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Bousiller – 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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