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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fabuler

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The English translation of the French verb fabuler is “to invent” or “to make up stories.” The infinitive form is pronounced “fa-byu-leh.”

Fabuler comes from the Latin word “fabula” meaning “a story” or “a play.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical action or event that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

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

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais fabulé une histoire plus convaincante. (If I had known, I would have made up a more convincing story.)
  2. Il aurait fabulé une excuse pour justifier son absence. (He would have invented an excuse to justify his absence.)
  3. Nous aurions tous fabulé sur ce qui se serait passé si nous avions gagné à la loterie. (We would have all speculated about what would have happened if we had won the lottery.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais fabulé J’aurais fabulé une histoire. I would have made up a story.
tu aurais fabulé Tu aurais fabulé à ta place. You would have made up in your place.
il aurait fabulé Il aurait fabulé sur sa vie. He would have made up about his life.
elle aurait fabulé Elle aurait fabulé pour son livre. She would have made up for her book.
on aurait fabulé On aurait fabulé sur l’avenir. One would have made up about the future.
nous aurions fabulé Nous aurions fabulé ensemble. We would have made up together.
vous auriez fabulé Vous auriez fabulé à haute voix. You would have made up out loud.
ils auraient fabulé Ils auraient fabulé toute la nuit. They would have made up all night.
elles auraient fabulé Elles auraient fabulé tout le temps. They (female) would have made up all the time.

Other Conjugations for Fabuler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fabuler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Fabuler – 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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