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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb feinter

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The English translation of the French verb feinter is “to feign” or “to fake.” The infinitive form, feinter, is pronounced as “fayn-tay.”

Feinter comes from the Latin word “fingere” which means “to shape” or “to invent.” It entered the French language in the 13th century and was originally used in the context of warfare, meaning “to make a deceptive movement.” Over time, it evolved to have a more general meaning of pretending or deceiving.

In everyday French, feinter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations in the past. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of the main verb.

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

  1. Si j’avais su qu’il était allergique aux chats, j’aurais feinté que je n’en avais pas chez moi. (If I had known he was allergic to cats, I would have pretended I didn’t have any at home.)

  2. Elle m’aurait feinté d’être malade pour ne pas venir au travail. (She would have faked being sick to not come to work.)

  3. S’ils avaient suivi mes conseils, ils auraient feinté d’être intéressés par la proposition. (If they had followed my advice, they would have pretended to be interested in the proposal.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais feinté Si j’avais pu, je t’aurais feinté. If I could have, I would have deceived you.
tu aurais feinté Tu aurais feinté de ne rien savoir. You would have pretended to know nothing.
il aurait feinté Il aurait feinté d’être malade. He would have pretended to be sick.
elle aurait feinté Elle aurait feinté d’être surprise. She would have pretended to be surprised.
on aurait feinté On aurait feinté de ne pas être d’accord. One would have pretended to not agree.
nous aurions feinté Nous aurions feinté d’être débordés. We would have pretended to be overwhelmed.
vous auriez feinté Vous auriez feinté d’être intéressés. You would have pretended to be interested.
ils auraient feinté Ils auraient feinté de ne pas comprendre. They would have pretended to not understand.
elles auraient feinté Elles auraient feinté d’être fâchées. They (female) would have pretended to be angry.

Other Conjugations for Feinter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb feinter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Feinter – 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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