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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb carburer

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The English translation of the French verb carburer is “to run on fuel” or “to carburet”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “kar-byuh-reh”.

The word “carburer” comes from the French noun “carburant”, meaning “fuel”, and the suffix “-er” which is added to many French verbs to indicate the action of a subject. It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of an engine running on fuel.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, the verb “carburer” is used to express a hypothetical or unrealized action in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense with the respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais rempli le réservoir d’essence, le moteur aurait carburer. (If I had filled the gas tank, the engine would have run on fuel.)
  2. Nous aurions dû vérifier si la voiture carburer avant de partir en voyage. (We should have checked if the car was running on fuel before leaving on our trip.)
  3. Je me demande si le vieux tracteur aurait carburer si on l’avait réparé. (I wonder if the old tractor would have carbureted if we had fixed it up.)

In all of these examples, “carburer” is used to describe the action of an engine or machine running on fuel. It is also commonly used in the context of a vehicle or machinery, but can also refer to any type of engine or motor that runs on fuel.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais carburé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais carburé. I would have run on gasoline.
tu aurais carburé Tu aurais carburé plus tôt. You would have used gasoline earlier.
il aurait carburé Il aurait carburé avec enthousiasme. He would have run with enthusiasm.
elle aurait carburé Elle aurait carburé avec finesse. She would have run with finesse.
on aurait carburé On aurait carburé sans relâche. One would have run relentlessly.
nous aurions carburé Nous aurions carburé en silence. We would have run in silence.
vous auriez carburé Vous auriez carburé sans problème. You would have run without a problem.
ils auraient carburé Ils auraient carburé sans soucis. They would have run without worries.
elles auraient carburé Elles auraient carburé avec facilité. They (female) would have run with ease.

Other Conjugations for Carburer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb carburer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Carburer – 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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