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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chavirer

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The English translation of the French verb chavirer is “to capsize” or “to overturn.” It is pronounced “sha-vee-reh.”

The word chavirer comes from the Latin word “caput” meaning “head.” In French, it can also mean “to lose one’s head” or “to lose control.” It is most often used in the conditional past tense, also known as the “conditionnel passé,” to express a past event that could have happened but did not.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su que la mer était si agitée, j’aurais chaviré. (If I had known that the sea was so rough, I would have capsized.)
  2. Elle aurait chaviré de joie si elle avait gagné la compétition. (She would have been overjoyed if she had won the competition.)
  3. Nous aurions chaviré si nous avions pris le volant après avoir bu. (We would have crashed if we had driven after drinking.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known that the sea was so rough, I would have capsized.
  2. She would have been overjoyed if she had won the competition.
  3. We would have crashed if we had driven after drinking.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais chaviré Si j’avais su, j’aurais chaviré. If I had known, I would have capsized.
tu aurais chaviré Tu aurais chaviré la barque. You would have capsized the boat.
il aurait chaviré Il aurait chaviré en mer. He would have capsized in the sea.
elle aurait chaviré Elle aurait chaviré de joie. She would have been overwhelmed with joy.
on aurait chaviré On aurait chaviré en dansant. One would have stumbled while dancing.
nous aurions chaviré Nous aurions chaviré ensemble. We would have capsized together.
vous auriez chaviré Vous auriez chaviré si vous aviez bu. You would have capsized if you had drunk.
ils auraient chaviré Ils auraient chaviré de bonheur. They would have been overwhelmed with happiness.
elles auraient chaviré Elles auraient chaviré en pleurant. They (female) would have capsized while crying.

Other Conjugations for Chavirer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chavirer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Chavirer – 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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