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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb brillantiner

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The English translation of the French verb brillantiner is “to polish” or “to shine.” It is pronounced “bree-lan-tee-nay.”

The word brillantiner comes from the French word “brillant,” meaning “shiny” or “sparkling,” and the suffix “-iner,” which is used to create verbs from nouns. It is most often used in every day French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or possible action in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais brillantiné mes chaussures, elles auraient été parfaites pour la soirée. (If I had polished my shoes, they would have been perfect for the party.)

  2. Nous aurions brillantiné la voiture avant le mariage, mais nous n’avions pas le temps. (We would have shined the car before the wedding, but we didn’t have time.)

  3. J’aurais aimé que tu brillantines tes bijoux avant de les porter à la fête. (I wish you had polished your jewelry before wearing them to the party.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais brillantiné Si j’avais su, j’aurais brillantiné mes chaussures. I would have shined my shoes if I had known.
tu aurais brillantiné Tu aurais brillantiné les bijoux. You would have polished the jewelry.
il aurait brillantiné Il aurait brillantiné sa voiture. He would have waxed his car.
elle aurait brillantiné Elle aurait brillantiné ses chaussures. She would have shined her shoes.
on aurait brillantiné On aurait brillantiné les meubles. One would have polished the furniture.
nous aurions brillantiné Nous aurions brillantiné la table. We would have waxed the table.
vous auriez brillantiné Vous auriez brillantiné les tapis. You would have polished the carpets.
ils auraient brillantiné Ils auraient brillantiné leurs trophées. They would have shined their trophies.
elles auraient brillantiné Elles auraient brillantiné leurs cheveux. They (female) would have polished their hair.

Other Conjugations for Brillantiner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brillantiner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Brillantiner – 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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