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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb butter

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The English translation of the French verb butter is “to spread butter” or “to butter.” The infinitive form of butter is pronounced “boo-tay.”

The French word for butter, “beurre,” comes from the Latin word “butyrum” which means “butter.” It is believed that butter was first introduced to Europe by the Romans who learned about it from the Greeks. It was originally made from sheep’s milk but later evolved to be made from cow’s milk, which is the most common type of butter used today.

In everyday French, the verb butter is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or unrealized action in the past. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of butter, which is “beurré.”

Three simple examples of using butter in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their respective English translations are:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais beurré mon pain avec de la confiture au lieu du Nutella. (If I had known, I would have spread butter on my bread with jam instead of Nutella.)
  2. Nous aurions beurré les croissants si nous avions eu du beurre. (We would have buttered the croissants if we had had butter.)
  3. Tu aurais beurré tes tartines si tu en avais eu envie. (You would have buttered your toast if you had felt like it.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais butté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais butté. I would have buttered you.
tu aurais butté Tu aurais butté plus tôt. You would have buttered earlier.
il aurait butté Il aurait butté du pain. He would have buttered bread.
elle aurait butté Elle aurait butté les légumes. She would have buttered the vegetables.
on aurait butté On aurait butté ensemble. One would have buttered together.
nous aurions butté Nous aurions butté le gâteau. We would have buttered the cake.
vous auriez butté Vous auriez butté avec nous. You would have buttered with us.
ils auraient butté Ils auraient butté le pain. They would have buttered the bread.
elles auraient butté Elles auraient butté le pain. They (female) would have buttered the bread.

Other Conjugations for Butter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Butter – 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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