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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bréler

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The English translation of the French verb bréler is “to burn.” It is pronounced as “bray-lay.”

Bréler comes from the Old French word “braieler” meaning “to make a fire.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is equivalent to the “would have + past participle” form in English. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action that could have happened in the past.

Three simple examples of bréler in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. J’aurais brûlé la viande si je ne l’avais pas surveillée.
    Translation: I would have burned the meat if I hadn’t watched it.

  2. Tu aurais brûlé les biscuits si tu les avais laissés trop longtemps dans le four.
    Translation: You would have burned the cookies if you had left them in the oven for too long.

  3. Il aurait brûlé la maison s’il n’avait pas éteint la cigarette avant de s’endormir.
    Translation: He would have burned the house if he hadn’t put out the cigarette before falling asleep.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais brûlé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais brûlé. I would have burned you.
tu aurais brûlé Tu aurais brûlé plus tôt. You would have burned earlier.
il aurait brûlé Il aurait brûlé du bois. He would have burned wood.
elle aurait brûlé Elle aurait brûlé la lettre. She would have burned the letter.
on aurait brûlé On aurait brûlé la maison. One would have burned the house.
nous aurions brûlé Nous aurions brûlé le feu. We would have burned the fire.
vous auriez brûlé Vous auriez brûlé les déchets. You would have burned the waste.
ils auraient brûlé Ils auraient brûlé leur voiture. They would have burned their car.
elles auraient brûlé Elles auraient brûlé le drapeau. They (female) would have burned the flag.

Other Conjugations for Bréler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bréler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Bréler – 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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