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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb boutonner

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of boutonner. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb boutonner is “to button.” The infinitive form, boutonner, is pronounced as “boo-toh-nay.”

The word boutonner comes from the French word “bouton,” which means “button.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of fastening or closing something with buttons. This can refer to clothing, accessories, or even certain types of closures on bags or containers.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, boutonner is used to talk about a hypothetical or conditional action that occurred in the past. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of boutonner.

Here are three simple examples of boutonner in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais vu ta chemise avant, je l’aurais boutonnée. (If I had seen your shirt before, I would have buttoned it.)
  2. Elle aurait boutonné son manteau s’il n’avait pas fait si chaud. (She would have buttoned her coat if it hadn’t been so hot.)
  3. Nous serions partis plus tôt si nous avions boutonné nos manteaux plus vite. (We would have left earlier if we had buttoned our coats faster.)

English translations:

  1. If I had seen your shirt before, I would have buttoned it.
  2. She would have buttoned her coat if it hadn’t been so hot.
  3. We would have left earlier if we had buttoned our coats faster.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais boutonné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais boutonné. I would have buttoned you up.
tu aurais boutonné Tu aurais mieux fait de boutonner ta chemise. You should have buttoned up your shirt.
il aurait boutonné Il aurait boutonné son costume. He would have buttoned up his suit.
elle aurait boutonné Elle aurait boutonné sa robe. She would have buttoned up her dress.
on aurait boutonné On aurait dû boutonner les manteaux avant de sortir. We should have buttoned up our coats before going out.
nous aurions boutonné Nous aurions mieux fait de boutonner nos vestes. We should have buttoned up our jackets.
vous auriez boutonné Vous auriez dû boutonner votre chemise. You should have buttoned up your shirt.
ils auraient boutonné Ils auraient pu boutonner leurs chemises. They could have buttoned up their shirts.
elles auraient boutonné Elles auraient aimé boutonner leurs blouses. They (female) would have liked to button up their blouses.

Other Conjugations for Boutonner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb boutonner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the boutonner Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Boutonner – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb boutonner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply