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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb feignanter

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The English translation of the French verb feignanter is “to pretend” or “to feign.” It is pronounced as “feh-nahn-tay” in the infinitive form.

Feignanter comes from the Old French word “feindre,” which means “to pretend.” It is derived from the Latin word “fingere,” which also means “to shape” or “to invent.” In everyday French, feignanter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense.

Here are three simple examples of feignanter in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais feignanté la maladie pour ne pas aller au travail. (If I had known, I would have pretended to be sick to not go to work.)
  2. Elle aurait feignanté d’avoir un rendez-vous pour éviter de sortir avec lui. (She would have pretended to have a date to avoid going out with him.)
  3. Nous aurions feignanté l’ignorance pour ne pas avoir à répondre à leurs questions. (We would have pretended to not know to avoid having to answer their questions.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known, I would have pretended to be sick to not go to work.
  2. She would have pretended to have a date to avoid going out with him.
  3. We would have pretended to not know to avoid having to answer their questions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais feinté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais feinté. I would have pretended with you.
tu aurais feinté Tu aurais feinté plus tôt. You would have feigned earlier.
il aurait feinté Il aurait feinté la maladie. He would have feigned illness.
elle aurait feinté Elle aurait feinté d’être malade. She would have pretended to be sick.
on aurait feinté On aurait feinté d’être occupés. One would have pretended to be busy.
nous aurions feinté Nous aurions feinté de travailler. We would have pretended to work.
vous auriez feinté Vous auriez feinté avec eux. You would have pretended with them.
ils auraient feinté Ils auraient feinté de dormir. They would have pretended to sleep.
elles auraient feinté Elles auraient feinté de faire du sport. They (female) would have pretended to play sports.

Other Conjugations for Feignanter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb feignanter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Feignanter – 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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