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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb brûler

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The English translation of the French verb brûler is “to burn.” It is pronounced as “broo-lay.”

The word brûler comes from the Latin verb “urere” which means “to burn.” It is commonly used in everyday French as a transitive verb meaning “to cause something to burn,” but it can also be used reflexively to mean “to burn oneself.” In the Conditionnel Passé tense, brûler is used to talk about a past hypothetical action or event.

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

  1. Si j’avais laissé la bougie allumée, j’aurais brûlé la maison. (If I had left the candle lit, I would have burned the house down.)
  2. Je serais arrivé plus tôt si je n’avais pas brûlé la file d’attente. (I would have arrived earlier if I hadn’t cut the line.)
  3. Nous aurions pu profiter de notre voyage si nous n’avions pas brûlé tout notre argent en une soirée. (We could have enjoyed our trip if we hadn’t burned all our money in one evening.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais brûlé Si j’avais eu un briquet, j’aurais brûlé cette lettre. If I had had a lighter, I would have burned this letter.
tu aurais brûlé Tu aurais brûlé cette branche. You would have burned this branch.
il aurait brûlé Il aurait brûlé la maison. He would have burned the house.
elle aurait brûlé Elle aurait brûlé la photo. She would have burned the photo.
on aurait brûlé On aurait brûlé toutes les preuves. One would have burned all the evidence.
nous aurions brûlé Nous aurions brûlé tout le bois. We would have burned all the wood.
vous auriez brûlé Vous auriez brûlé le pain. You would have burned the bread.
ils auraient brûlé Ils auraient brûlé les déchets. They would have burned the waste.
elles auraient brûlé Elles auraient brûlé leurs vêtements. They (female) would have burned their clothes.

Other Conjugations for Brûler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brûler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Brûler – 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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