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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chanceler

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The English translation of the French verb chanceler is “to stagger” or “to waver”. It is pronounced “shahn-se-leh”.

The word chanceler comes from the Old French word “chancel”, meaning “to waver” or “to hesitate”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is commonly used to express a past hypothetical or conditional action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir in the Conditionnel Présent tense followed by the past participle of the main verb.

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

  1. Si j’avais bu plus de vin, j’aurais chancelé en rentrant chez moi. (If I had drunk more wine, I would have staggered on my way home.)
  2. Tu aurais chancelé si tu avais marché sur cette glace. (You would have wavered if you had walked on this ice.)
  3. Elle aurait chancelé si elle avait su la vérité. (She would have hesitated if she had known the truth.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais chancelé Si j’avais bu, j’aurais chancelé. If I had drunk, I would have staggered.
tu aurais chancelé Tu aurais chancelé sur tes talons. You would have wobbled on your heels.
il aurait chancelé Il aurait chancelé en marchant. He would have stumbled while walking.
elle aurait chancelé Elle aurait chancelé après avoir couru. She would have stumbled after running.
on aurait chancelé On aurait chancelé sur le bateau. One would have swayed on the boat.
nous aurions chancelé Nous aurions chancelé en dansant. We would have stumbled while dancing.
vous auriez chancelé Vous auriez chancelé de fatigue. You would have staggered from tiredness.
ils auraient chancelé Ils auraient chancelé en courant. They would have wobbled while running.
elles auraient chancelé Elles auraient chancelé en portant les sacs. They (female) would have staggered while carrying the bags.

Other Conjugations for Chanceler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chanceler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Chanceler – 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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