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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb draguer

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The English translation of the French verb draguer is “to flirt” or “to hit on”. It is pronounced as “drah-geh”.

The word draguer comes from the Old French word “drague” which means “dredge”. In the nautical world, a “drague” was a type of vessel used to collect debris from the bottom of a body of water. Over time, the word came to be used figuratively to describe someone who is fishing for compliments or attention, and eventually evolved to its current meaning of flirting or hitting on someone.

In everyday French, draguer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a conditional action in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the conditional form, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are 3 examples of draguer used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais dragué cette fille, elle m’aurait sûrement donné son numéro. (If I had flirted with that girl, she would have probably given me her number.)

  2. Tu aurais dû draguer ton collègue lors de la fête de l’entreprise. Il semblait intéressé par toi. (You should have hit on your colleague at the company party. He seemed interested in you.)

  3. Ils auraient été plus discrets s’ils avaient dragué dans un endroit moins fréquenté. (They would have been more discreet if they had flirted in a less crowded place.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dragué Si j’avais su, je t’aurais dragué. I would have flirted with you.
tu aurais dragué Tu aurais dragué plus tôt. You would have flirted earlier.
il aurait dragué Il aurait dragué une fille. He would have hit on a girl.
elle aurait dragué Elle aurait dragué un garçon. She would have picked up a boy.
on aurait dragué On aurait dragué au bar. One would have flirted at the bar.
nous aurions dragué Nous aurions dragué en boîte de nuit. We would have gone flirting at the club.
vous auriez dragué Vous auriez dragué avec eux. You would have flirted with them.
ils auraient dragué Ils auraient dragué toute la nuit. They would have flirted all night.
elles auraient dragué Elles auraient dragué avec leurs amis. They (female) would have flirted with their friends.

Other Conjugations for Draguer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb draguer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Draguer – 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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