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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chicaner

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The English translation of the French verb chicaner is “to quibble” or “to argue over small details.” It is pronounced as shee-ka-nay.

Chicaner comes from the Old French word “chicane,” meaning “legal dispute” or “trickery.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical past action.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. J’aurais chicané avec lui si j’avais su. (I would have quibbled with him if I had known.)
  2. Tu aurais chicané pour quelques euros de plus. (You would have argued over a few extra euros.)
  3. Ils auraient chicané pendant des heures sans résoudre le problème. (They would have quibbled for hours without solving the problem.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais chicané Si tu m’avais écouté, je t’aurais chicané. If you had listened to me, I would have nagged at you.
tu aurais chicané Tu aurais chicané pour rien. You would have argued for nothing.
il aurait chicané Il aurait chicané avec ses voisins. He would have quarreled with his neighbors.
elle aurait chicané Elle aurait chicané avec sa soeur. She would have bickered with her sister.
on aurait chicané On aurait chicané au sujet de l’argent. One would have squabbled about money.
nous aurions chicané Nous aurions chicané pour la dernière fois. We would have argued for the last time.
vous auriez chicané Vous auriez chicané avec vos amis. You would have argued with your friends.
ils auraient chicané Ils auraient chicané sur la même chose. They would have bickered about the same thing.
elles auraient chicané Elles auraient chicané sans raison. They (female) would have argued without reason.

Other Conjugations for Chicaner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Chicaner – 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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