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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb broncher

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The English translation of the French verb broncher is “to stumble” or “to falter.” It is pronounced as “brohn-shay.”

The word broncher comes from the Old French word “bronchier,” which means “to stumble” or “to falter.” It is derived from the Latin word “broncus,” which means “obstacle” or “hindrance.”

In everyday French, the verb broncher is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or future action that did not happen or will not happen. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of broncher.

Examples of broncher in the Conditionnel Passé tense with English translations are:

  1. Si tu avais été plus prudent, tu ne serais pas tombé. (If you had been more careful, you would not have stumbled.)
  2. Nous aurions pu éviter cet accident si tu n’avais pas bronché au dernier moment. (We could have avoided this accident if you hadn’t stumbled at the last moment.)
  3. Elle serait déjà arrivée si elle n’avait pas bronché devant les obstacles. (She would have already arrived if she hadn’t faltered in front of the obstacles.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais bronché Si j’avais su, je n’aurais pas bronché. If I had known, I would not have flinched.
tu aurais bronché Tu aurais bronché plus tôt. You would have flinched earlier.
il aurait bronché Il aurait bronché devant ses parents. He would have flinched in front of his parents.
elle aurait bronché Elle aurait bronché en entendant le bruit. She would have flinched upon hearing the noise.
on aurait bronché On aurait bronché devant cette scène. One would have flinched at this scene.
nous aurions bronché Nous aurions bronché devant cette situation. We would have flinched at this situation.
vous auriez bronché Vous auriez bronché devant cette injustice. You would have flinched at this injustice.
ils auraient bronché Ils auraient bronché devant le danger. They would have flinched in front of the danger.
elles auraient bronché Elles auraient bronché devant cette idée. They (female) would have flinched at this idea.

Other Conjugations for Broncher.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb broncher
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Broncher – 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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