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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bretter

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The English translation of the French verb bretter is “to board” or “to plank.” It is pronounced as [bʁɛ.te].

The word bretter comes from the Old French word “bret,” meaning plank or board. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express actions that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Some examples of bretter in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais suivi mes rêves, j’aurais bretté à travers le monde. (If I had followed my dreams, I would have traveled the world.)

  2. Nous aurions bretté sur la rivière si le temps avait été plus agréable. (We would have boarded on the river if the weather had been nicer.)

  3. Il se serait blessé s’il avait bretté sur ce vieux pont en bois. (He would have gotten hurt if he had boarded on that old wooden bridge.)

English translations:

  1. If I had followed my dreams, I would have traveled the world.

  2. We would have boarded on the river if the weather had been nicer.

  3. He would have gotten hurt if he had boarded on that old wooden bridge.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bretté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais bretté. I would have boarded you.
tu aurais bretté Tu aurais bretté plus tôt. You would have boarded earlier.
il aurait bretté Il aurait bretté avec nous. He would have boarded with us.
elle aurait bretté Elle aurait bretté plus vite. She would have boarded faster.
on aurait bretté On aurait bretté pour le plaisir. One would have boarded for fun.
nous aurions bretté Nous aurions bretté ensemble. We would have boarded together.
vous auriez bretté Vous auriez bretté avec eux. You would have boarded with them.
ils auraient bretté Ils auraient bretté en vacances. They would have boarded on vacation.
elles auraient bretté Elles auraient bretté sur la mer. They (female) would have boarded on the sea.

Other Conjugations for Bretter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bretter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Bretter – 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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