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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb brouter

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The English translation of the French verb brouter is “to graze” or “to nibble.” The infinitive form is pronounced “broo-tay.”

The word “brouter” comes from the Old French word “brouster,” meaning to browse or graze. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense.

Examples of usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais brouté dans le parc. (If I had had more time, I would have grazed in the park.)

  2. Nous aurions brouté des fruits frais si nous étions allés au marché. (We would have nibbled on fresh fruits if we had gone to the market.)

  3. Tu aurais brouté tout le gâteau si je ne t’avais pas arrêté. (You would have devoured the entire cake if I hadn’t stopped you.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais brouté Si j’avais plus de temps, je t’aurais brouté. I would have grazed on you if I had more time.
tu aurais brouté Tu aurais brouté toute la journée. You would have grazed all day long.
il aurait brouté Il aurait brouté dans le champ. He would have grazed in the field.
elle aurait brouté Elle aurait brouté l’herbe fraîche. She would have grazed on fresh grass.
on aurait brouté On aurait brouté de l’herbe sèche. One would have grazed on dry grass.
nous aurions brouté Nous aurions brouté ensemble. We would have grazed together.
vous auriez brouté Vous auriez brouté avec les autres vaches. You would have grazed with the other cows.
ils auraient brouté Ils auraient brouté dans la prairie. They would have grazed in the meadow.
elles auraient brouté Elles auraient brouté dans la ferme. They (female) would have grazed in the farm.

Other Conjugations for Brouter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brouter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Brouter – 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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