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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chaumer

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The English translation of the French verb chaumer is “to be idle” or “to be unemployed.” It is pronounced “sho-may.”

The language origin of chaumer can be traced back to the Old French word “chaumier,” meaning “one who works with straw,” as this verb was originally used to describe someone who is out of work and therefore has nothing to do but work with straw. Over time, it came to be used more broadly to refer to anyone who is idle or unemployed.

In everyday French, chaumer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three examples of chaumer in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais été licencié, j’aurais chaumé pendant des mois.
    Translation: If I had been laid off, I would have been idle for months.

  2. Nous aurions chaumé toute la journée si la grève n’avait pas été annulée.
    Translation: We would have been idle all day if the strike had not been canceled.

  3. Si tu avais choisi un autre métier, tu ne serais pas en train de chaumer en ce moment.
    Translation: If you had chosen a different career, you would not be idle right now.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais chaumé Si j’avais le temps, je t’aurais chaumé. If I had the time, I would have idled with you.
tu aurais chaumé Tu aurais chaumé toute la journée. You would have idled all day.
il aurait chaumé Il aurait chaumé en regardant la télé. He would have idled while watching TV.
elle aurait chaumé Elle aurait chaumé sur la plage. She would have idled on the beach.
on aurait chaumé On aurait chaumé sans rien faire. One would have idled doing nothing.
nous aurions chaumé Nous aurions chaumé en écoutant de la musique. We would have idled while listening to music.
vous auriez chaumé Vous auriez chaumé avec vos amis. You would have idled with your friends.
ils auraient chaumé Ils auraient chaumé au parc. They would have idled at the park.
elles auraient chaumé Elles auraient chaumé toute la journée. They (female) would have idled all day.

Other Conjugations for Chaumer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chaumer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Chaumer – 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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