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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb briefer

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The English translation of the French verb briefer is “to brief.” It is pronounced “bree-FAY.”

The word briefer comes from the Old French word “bref,” meaning “short” or “brief.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to describe an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of how briefer is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si je t’avais briefé avant l’entretien, tu aurais mieux réussi. (If I had briefed you before the interview, you would have done better.)
  2. Nous aurions briefé notre équipe si nous avions eu plus de temps. (We would have briefed our team if we had had more time.)
  3. Tu aurais mieux compris si tu avais été briefé sur le sujet. (You would have understood better if you had been briefed on the subject.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais briefé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais briefé. I would have briefed you.
tu aurais briefé Tu aurais briefé plus tôt. You would have briefed earlier.
il aurait briefé Il aurait briefé le personnel. He would have briefed the staff.
elle aurait briefé Elle aurait briefé ses collègues. She would have briefed her colleagues.
on aurait briefé On aurait briefé la situation. One would have briefed the situation.
nous aurions briefé Nous aurions briefé en détail. We would have briefed in detail.
vous auriez briefé Vous auriez briefé avec eux. You would have briefed with them.
ils auraient briefé Ils auraient briefé les clients. They would have briefed the clients.
elles auraient briefé Elles auraient briefé l’équipe. They (female) would have briefed the team.

Other Conjugations for Briefer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb briefer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Briefer – 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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