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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb failler

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The English translation of the French verb failler is “to fail” or “to make a mistake.” The infinitive form of failler is pronounced as “fie-yay.”

Failler comes from the Old French word “faillier” which means “to lack” or “to miss.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action in the past.

Examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais étudié plus dur, je n’aurais pas failli à mon examen.
    Translation: If I had studied harder, I wouldn’t have failed my exam.

  2. Il aurait pu réussir s’il n’avait pas failli à la dernière minute.
    Translation: He could have succeeded if he hadn’t failed at the last minute.

  3. Nous aurions gagné le match si l’arbitre n’avait pas failli dans sa décision.
    Translation: We would have won the game if the referee hadn’t made a mistake in his decision.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais failli Si j’avais su, j’aurais failli tomber. If I had known, I would have almost fallen.
tu aurais failli Tu aurais failli rater l’avion. You would have almost missed the plane.
il aurait failli Il aurait failli perdre son emploi. He would have almost lost his job.
elle aurait failli Elle aurait failli pleurer. She would have almost cried.
on aurait failli On aurait failli manquer le train. One would have almost missed the train.
nous aurions failli Nous aurions failli échouer à l’examen. We would have almost failed the exam.
vous auriez failli Vous auriez failli être en retard. You would have almost been late.
ils auraient failli Ils auraient failli tomber dans le piège. They would have almost fallen into the trap.
elles auraient failli Elles auraient failli rater leur vol. They (female) would have almost missed their flight.

Other Conjugations for Failler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb failler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Failler – 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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