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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ferler

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The English translation of the French verb ferler is “to furl” or “to roll up.” It is pronounced as “fehr-leh.”

Ferler comes from the Old French word “ferle,” meaning “to wrap or twist.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to express a possibility or hypothetical situation that would have happened in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais ferlé les voiles avant la tempête. (If I had known, I would have furled the sails before the storm.) In this example, the speaker is expressing regret for not furling the sails before the storm.

  2. Tu aurais dû ferler les parapluies avant de partir. (You should have furled the umbrellas before leaving.) In this sentence, the speaker is giving advice to someone who didn’t furl the umbrellas and got caught in the rain.

  3. Il aurait fallu ferler les drapeaux en signe de deuil. (The flags should have been furled as a sign of mourning.) In this example, the speaker is expressing a missed opportunity to show respect by furling the flags.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais fermé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais fermé la porte. I would have closed the door for you.
tu aurais fermé Tu aurais fermé le robinet. You would have shut off the faucet.
il aurait fermé Il aurait fermé les fenêtres. He would have closed the windows.
elle aurait fermé Elle aurait fermé le magasin. She would have closed the store.
on aurait fermé On aurait fermé le chantier. One would have closed the construction site.
nous aurions fermé Nous aurions fermé les portes. We would have closed the doors.
vous auriez fermé Vous auriez fermé les valises. You would have closed the suitcases.
ils auraient fermé Ils auraient fermé le restaurant. They would have closed the restaurant.
elles auraient fermé Elles auraient fermé les fenêtres. They (female) would have closed the windows.

Other Conjugations for Ferler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ferler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Ferler – 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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