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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chinoiser

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The English translation of the French verb chinoiser is “to mimic Chinese customs or style.” It is pronounced “sheen-wah-zay.”

Chinoiser comes from the French word “chinois,” meaning Chinese, and the suffix “-iser,” which is used to create verbs from nouns. In everyday French, chinoiser is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or unreal action that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three examples of chinoiser in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais suivi des cours de chinois, j’aurais pu chinoiser lors de mon voyage en Chine. (If I had taken Chinese classes, I could have mimicked Chinese customs during my trip to China.)

  2. Elle aurait adoré chinoiser avec ses amis chinois lors de la fête du Nouvel An. (She would have loved to mimic Chinese customs with her Chinese friends during the New Year’s party.)

  3. Nous serions plus crédibles dans notre pièce de théâtre si nous avions pu chinoiser correctement. (We would have been more believable in our play if we had been able to mimic Chinese customs correctly.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais chiné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais chiné. I would have imitated Chinese.
tu aurais chiné Tu aurais chiné plus tôt. You would have imitated Chinese earlier.
il aurait chiné Il aurait chiné avec ses amis. He would have imitated Chinese with his friends.
elle aurait chiné Elle aurait chiné pour son travail. She would have imitated Chinese for her work.
on aurait chiné On aurait chiné ensemble. One would have imitated Chinese together.
nous aurions chiné Nous aurions chiné pendant le voyage. We would have imitated Chinese during the trip.
vous auriez chiné Vous auriez chiné avec eux. You would have imitated Chinese with them.
ils auraient chiné Ils auraient chiné pour le plaisir. They would have imitated Chinese for fun.
elles auraient chiné Elles auraient chiné pour faire la fête. They (female) would have imitated Chinese for partying.

Other Conjugations for Chinoiser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chinoiser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Chinoiser – 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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