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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb boycotter

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The English translation of the French verb boycotter is “to boycott.” It is pronounced boi-kot-ey (with the final “er” being silent).

The word boycotter originated from the English name Captain Charles Cunningham Boycott, who was an English land agent in Ireland. The term “boycott” was first coined in 1880 when Boycott’s tenants refused to work for him or trade with him in protest against his unfair treatment of them. The word quickly entered the French language as “boycotter” and became a commonly used term for boycotting or refusing to participate in something as a form of protest.

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense is used to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense followed by the past participle of the main verb (boycotté).

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

  1. Si j’avais su que l’entreprise polluait l’environnement, je l’aurais boycottée. (If I had known that the company was polluting the environment, I would have boycotted it.)

  2. Nous aurions boycotté ce film s’il avait été réalisé par un réalisateur controversé. (We would have boycotted this film if it had been directed by a controversial director.)

  3. Si vous aviez écouté nos revendications, nous n’aurions pas boycotté votre événement. (If you had listened to our demands, we would not have boycotted your event.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known that the company was polluting the environment, I would have boycotted it.

  2. We would have boycotted this film if it had been directed by a controversial director.

  3. If you had listened to our demands, we would not have boycotted your event.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais boycotté Si j’avais su, j’aurais boycotté. I would have boycotted.
tu aurais boycotté Tu aurais boycotté le magasin. You would have boycotted the store.
il aurait boycotté Il aurait boycotté l’évènement. He would have boycotted the event.
elle aurait boycotté Elle aurait boycotté la compagnie. She would have boycotted the company.
on aurait boycotté On aurait boycotté les produits. One would have boycotted the products.
nous aurions boycotté Nous aurions boycotté la manifestation. We would have boycotted the protest.
vous auriez boycotté Vous auriez boycotté le concert. You would have boycotted the concert.
ils auraient boycotté Ils auraient boycotté le vote. They would have boycotted the vote.
elles auraient boycotté Elles auraient boycotté le produit. They (female) would have boycotted the product.

Other Conjugations for Boycotter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb boycotter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Boycotter – 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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