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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chamailler

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The English translation of the French verb chamailler is “to squabble” or “to bicker.” It is pronounced “shah-mah-yay” in its infinitive form.

The word chamailler comes from the Old French word “chamaillier,” which originally meant “to engage in military combat,” but evolved over time to mean “to bicker” or “to argue.”

In everyday French, chamailler is commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the equivalent of the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about hypothetical or possible actions in the past.

Here are three simple examples of chamailler used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si nous avions chamaillé moins souvent, nous aurions pu rester amis. (If we had squabbled less often, we could have stayed friends.)
  2. Ils se seraient chamaillés toute la nuit si nous ne les avions pas séparés. (They would have bickered all night if we hadn’t separated them.)
  3. J’aurais adoré les vacances si mes frères ne s’étaient pas chamaillés tout le temps. (I would have loved the vacation if my brothers hadn’t bickered all the time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais chamaillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais chamaillé. I would have bickered with you.
tu aurais chamaillé Tu aurais chamaillé avec tes frères. You would have argued with your brothers.
il aurait chamaillé Il aurait chamaillé avec son voisin. He would have quarreled with his neighbor.
elle aurait chamaillé Elle aurait chamaillé avec sa soeur. She would have squabbled with her sister.
on aurait chamaillé On aurait chamaillé toute la journée. One would have argued all day.
nous aurions chamaillé Nous aurions chamaillé pour un rien. We would have fought over nothing.
vous auriez chamaillé Vous auriez chamaillé avec eux. You would have bickered with them.
ils auraient chamaillé Ils auraient chamaillé pendant des heures. They would have argued for hours.
elles auraient chamaillé Elles auraient chamaillé à propos de leur amitié. They (female) would have bickered about their friendship.

Other Conjugations for Chamailler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chamailler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Chamailler – 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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