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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chiffonner

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The English translation of the French verb chiffonner is “to crumple” or “to rumple.” The infinitive form, chiffonner, is pronounced “shee-fohn-ay.”

The word chiffonner comes from the French word chiffon, meaning “rag” or “scrap of fabric.” It originated from the Latin word cifonem, meaning “rag” or “flimsy cloth.”

In everyday French, chiffonner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action or event in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Examples of its usage in this tense include:

  1. Si j’avais trouvé mon costume chiffonné, j’aurais été très en colère. (If I had found my suit crumpled, I would have been very angry.)
  2. Nous aurions pu être en retard si tu avais chiffonné ta chemise. (We could have been late if you had crumpled your shirt.)
  3. Vous auriez dû faire attention à ne pas chiffonner cette photo. (You should have been careful not to crumple this photo.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais chiffonné Si j’avais su, j’aurais chiffonné mon pull. If I had known, I would have crumpled my sweater.
tu aurais chiffonné Tu aurais chiffonné ta robe. You would have crumpled your dress.
il aurait chiffonné Il aurait chiffonné le papier. He would have crumpled the paper.
elle aurait chiffonné Elle aurait chiffonné sa chemise. She would have crumpled her shirt.
on aurait chiffonné On aurait chiffonné tous les documents. One would have crumpled all the documents.
nous aurions chiffonné Nous aurions chiffonné les feuilles. We would have crumpled the sheets.
vous auriez chiffonné Vous auriez chiffonné les serviettes. You would have crumpled the napkins.
ils auraient chiffonné Ils auraient chiffonné les journaux. They would have crumpled the newspapers.
elles auraient chiffonné Elles auraient chiffonné les vêtements. They (female) would have crumpled the clothes.

Other Conjugations for Chiffonner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chiffonner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Chiffonner – 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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