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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb extravaguer

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The English translation of the French verb extravaguer is “to ramble” or “to go off on a tangent.” It is pronounced as “ex-trah-gu-ay.”

The verb extravaguer comes from the Latin word “extravagari” which means “to wander beyond.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Si j’avais rencontré Marc hier, je n’aurais pas arrêté d’extravaguer sur notre voyage en Italie. (If I had met Marc yesterday, I wouldn’t have stopped rambling about our trip to Italy.)
  2. Tu aurais mieux fait de suivre le plan de l’équipe au lieu d’extravaguer avec tes propres idées. (You should have followed the team’s plan instead of going off on your own ideas.)
  3. Elle aurait dû se concentrer sur son discours, mais elle a fini par extravaguer sur un sujet complètement différent. (She should have focused on her speech, but she ended up rambling about a completely different topic.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais extravagé Si j’étais plus riche, j’aurais extravagé. If I were richer, I would have splurged.
tu aurais extravagé Tu aurais extravagé avec moi. You would have gone overboard with me.
il aurait extravagé Il aurait extravagé à la fête. He would have gone all out at the party.
elle aurait extravagé Elle aurait extravagé sur sa tenue. She would have gone overboard with her outfit.
on aurait extravagé On aurait bien extravagé. One would have gone overboard.
nous aurions extravagé Nous aurions extravagé en vacances. We would have splurged on vacation.
vous auriez extravagé Vous auriez extravagé au restaurant. You would have gone all out at the restaurant.
ils auraient extravagé Ils auraient extravagé pour célébrer. They would have splurged to celebrate.
elles auraient extravagé Elles auraient extravagé avec leurs amis. They (female) would have gone overboard with their friends.

Other Conjugations for Extravaguer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb extravaguer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Extravaguer – 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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