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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chouiner

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The English translation of the French verb chouiner is “to whine” or “to whimper.” It is pronounced “shwee-nay.”

The language origin of chouiner can be traced back to the Old French word “choine” which meant “to cry softly” or “to sob.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action or event that would have happened in the past, had certain conditions been met.

Here are three simple examples of chouiner used in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si tu avais chouiné moins, on t’aurait peut-être acheté le jouet. (If you had whined less, we might have bought you the toy.)

  2. J’aurais aimé qu’ils n’aient pas autant chouiné pendant le voyage en voiture. (I wish they hadn’t whined so much during the car ride.)

  3. Si je t’avais écouté, on se serait arrêtés à chaque boutique et tu aurais chouiné pour avoir quelque chose. (If I had listened to you, we would have stopped at every store and you would have whined to get something.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais chouiné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais chouiné. I would have whined to you.
tu aurais chouiné Tu aurais chouiné plus tôt. You would have whined earlier.
il aurait chouiné Il aurait chouiné toute la journée. He would have whined all day.
elle aurait chouiné Elle aurait chouiné pour une glace. She would have whined for an ice cream.
on aurait chouiné On aurait chouiné à propos de ça. One would have whined about that.
nous aurions chouiné Nous aurions chouiné ensemble. We would have whined together.
vous auriez chouiné Vous auriez chouiné à notre place. You would have whined in our place.
ils auraient chouiné Ils auraient chouiné pour un jouet. They would have whined for a toy.
elles auraient chouiné Elles auraient chouiné toute la soirée. They (female) would have whined all evening.

Other Conjugations for Chouiner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chouiner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Chouiner – 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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