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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb brêler

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The English translation of the French verb brêler is “to burn”. It is pronounced “breh-lay” in the infinitive form.

Brêler comes from the Old French word “breceler” which means “to cook over coals”. It is derived from the Latin word “bracchium” which means “arm” and refers to the action of holding something over a fire with one’s arms. Today, brêler is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of burning or scorching something, either intentionally or accidentally.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, brêler is used to express a hypothetical or possible action that would have taken place in the past. It is formed by conjugating the verb avoir in the Conditionnel Présent tense followed by the past participle brûlé. For example:

  1. Si j’avais fait attention, je n’aurais pas brûlé la viande. (If I had paid attention, I wouldn’t have burned the meat.)
  2. Tu aurais brûlé tes doigts si tu avais touché la poêle chaude. (You would have burned your fingers if you had touched the hot pan.)
  3. Ils auraient brûlé la forêt entière s’ils n’étaient pas intervenus à temps. (They would have burned down the entire forest if they had not intervened in time.)

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

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 sa main. She would have burned her hand.
on aurait brûlé On aurait brûlé le feu. One would have burned the fire.
nous aurions brûlé Nous aurions brûlé la forêt. We would have burned the forest.
vous auriez brûlé Vous auriez brûlé la maison. You would have burned the house.
ils auraient brûlé Ils auraient brûlé les déchets. They would have burned the trash.
elles auraient brûlé Elles auraient brûlé leurs photos. They (female) would have burned their photos.

Other Conjugations for Brêler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brêler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Brêler – 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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