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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chômer

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The English translation of the French verb chômer is “to be unemployed” or “to be out of work.” It is pronounced as “shoh-may” in its infinitive form.

The word chômer comes from the Latin word “causam,” which means “cause.” In Old French, it was used to refer to a rest day or a holiday. Over time, it evolved to mean “to cease work” or “to be idle.” In modern French, chômer is most often used in the context of employment and means “to be unemployed” or “to be out of work.”

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, chômer is used to describe a past hypothetical situation or an unrealized action. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Si j’avais pu, j’aurais chômé pendant un mois. (If I had been able to, I would have been unemployed for a month.)
  2. Nous aurions chômé toute la journée si le patron n’avait pas donné de travail. (We would have been out of work all day if the boss hadn’t given us work.)
  3. Tu aurais chômé plus longtemps si tu n’avais pas trouvé un nouvel emploi. (You would have been unemployed for longer if you hadn’t found a new job.)

Overall, chômer is a commonly used verb in French to talk about unemployment and it is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to speculate about past events or actions that did not occur.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais chômé Si j’avais pu, je t’aurais chômé. I would have taken time off for you.
tu aurais chômé Tu aurais dû chômé plus tôt. You should have taken time off earlier.
il aurait chômé Il aurait chômé aujourd’hui. He would have taken time off today.
elle aurait chômé Elle aurait chômé pour préparer son examen. She would have taken time off to prepare for her exam.
on aurait chômé On aurait chômé demain. One would have taken tomorrow off.
nous aurions chômé Nous aurions dû chômé plus longtemps. We should have taken more time off.
vous auriez chômé Vous auriez chômé avec nous. You would have taken time off with us.
ils auraient chômé Ils auraient chômé pour visiter Paris. They would have taken time off to visit Paris.
elles auraient chômé Elles auraient chômé pour leur anniversaire. They (female) would have taken time off for their birthday.

Other Conjugations for Chômer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chômer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Chômer – 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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