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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bricoler

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of bricoler. 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 bricoler is “to tinker” or “to do odd jobs”. The infinitive form of bricoler is pronounced “bree-koh-lay”.

The word bricoler comes from the French word “bricole”, which means a small, makeshift object or a DIY project. It is derived from the Old French word “brico”, which means “piece of wood”. In everyday French, bricoler is used to describe the act of doing minor repairs or projects around the house, often in a casual or improvised manner.

Examples of using bricoler in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais pu bricoler cette étagère moi-même. (If I had had more time, I could have tinkered with this shelf myself.)

  2. Nous aurions pu économiser de l’argent en bricolant nos meubles plutôt que de les acheter tout faits. (We could have saved money by tinkering with our furniture instead of buying them ready-made.)

  3. Elle aurait aimé bricoler avec son père quand elle était petite. (She would have liked to tinker with her father when she was little.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bricolé Si j’avais eu le temps, j’aurais bricolé. I would have tinkered if I had had the time.
tu aurais bricolé Tu aurais bricolé un nouveau meuble. You would have tinkered a new piece of furniture.
il aurait bricolé Il aurait bricolé sa voiture. He would have fixed his car.
elle aurait bricolé Elle aurait bricolé la lampe. She would have fixed the lamp.
on aurait bricolé On aurait bricolé toute la journée. One would have tinkered all day.
nous aurions bricolé Nous aurions bricolé ensemble. We would have tinkered together.
vous auriez bricolé Vous auriez bricolé avec nous. You would have tinkered with us.
ils auraient bricolé Ils auraient bricolé la maison. They would have fixed the house.
elles auraient bricolé Elles auraient bricolé le jardin. They (female) would have tinkered with the garden.

Other Conjugations for Bricoler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bricoler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    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 bricoler Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Bricoler – 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 bricoler. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply