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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb brifer

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The English translation of the French verb brifer is “to brief” or “to inform.” It is pronounced “bree-fay” in its infinitive form.

The verb brifer comes from the Old French word “brief,” meaning “letter” or “message.” It evolved over time to mean “to give a brief explanation or summary.” In everyday French, it is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of brifer in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su que tu étais malade, je t’aurais brièvement expliqué comment prendre ton médicament. (If I had known you were sick, I would have briefly explained to you how to take your medicine.)

  2. Nous aurions brièvement informé nos collègues de la situation, s’ils avaient été présents à la réunion. (We would have briefly informed our colleagues about the situation, if they had been present at the meeting.)

  3. J’aurais brièvement briefé l’équipe avant le match si j’avais été l’entraîneur. (I would have briefly briefed the team before the game if I had been the coach.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known you were sick, I would have briefly explained to you how to take your medicine.

  2. We would have briefly informed our colleagues about the situation, if they had been present at the meeting.

  3. I would have briefly briefed the team before the game if I had been the coach.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais brièf é Si j’avais su, je t’aurais brièf é. I would have briefed you.
tu aurais brièf é Tu aurais brièf é plus rapidement. You would have briefed earlier.
il aurait brièf é Il aurait brièf é les employés. He would have briefed the employees.
elle aurait brièf é Elle aurait brièf é ses collègues. She would have briefed her colleagues.
on aurait brièf é On aurait brièf é des informations. One would have briefed some information.
nous aurions brièf é Nous aurions brièf é en équipe. We would have briefed as a team.
vous auriez brièf é Vous auriez brièf é avec eux. You would have briefed with them.
ils auraient brièf é Ils auraient brièf é sur le projet. They would have briefed on the project.
elles auraient brièf é Elles auraient brièf é leurs équipes. They (female) would have briefed their teams.

Other Conjugations for Brifer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brifer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Brifer – 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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