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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb faner

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The English translation of the French verb faner is “to wither” or “to fade.” It is pronounced as “fah-neh” in its infinitive form.

The language origin of faner can be traced back to the Latin verb “fannum,” meaning “a winnowing shovel.” In Old French, it evolved into “fan,” meaning “a winnowing basket,” and eventually “faner,” meaning “to winnow” or “to dry in the wind.” Over time, the meaning of faner shifted to its current usage of “to wither” or “to fade.”

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense is used to express actions or events that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met. The verb faner is often used in this tense to describe something that would have withered or faded if certain circumstances had been different.

Here are three simple examples of faner in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais arrosé mes fleurs, elles ne se seraient pas fanées. (If I had watered my flowers, they wouldn’t have withered.)
  2. Nous aurions dû couper l’herbe avant qu’elle ne fanât. (We should have mowed the grass before it withered.)
  3. Tu aurais mis les fruits au frigo, ils ne seraient pas fanés maintenant. (If you had put the fruits in the fridge, they wouldn’t be faded now.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais fané Si j’avais su, je l’aurais fané. If I had known, I would have withered it.
tu aurais fané Tu aurais fané les fleurs. You would have wilted the flowers.
il aurait fané Il aurait fané le gazon. He would have faded the grass.
elle aurait fané Elle aurait fané les feuilles. She would have withered the leaves.
on aurait fané On aurait fané le blé. One would have wilted the wheat.
nous aurions fané Nous aurions fané les plantes. We would have withered the plants.
vous auriez fané Vous auriez fané les roses. You would have wilted the roses.
ils auraient fané Ils auraient fané les légumes. They would have withered the vegetables.
elles auraient fané Elles auraient fané les fleurs. They (female) would have wilted the flowers.

Other Conjugations for Faner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb faner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Faner – 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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