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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb flamber

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The English translation of the French verb flamber is “to flame” or “to flambe.” It is pronounced as “flahm-bay.”

The word “flamber” comes from the Old French word “flame,” meaning “to set alight.” It is most commonly used in cooking, specifically when food is ignited with alcohol to create a flambé dish. However, it can also be used in a more general sense to mean “to set on fire” or “to burn.”

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, flamber is used to express a hypothetical action that would have taken place in the past.

Example 1: Si j’avais suivi la recette correctement, j’aurais pu flamber le dessert. (If I had followed the recipe correctly, I could have flamed the dessert.)

Example 2: Ils auraient dû flamber le gâteau avant de le servir. (They should have flamed the cake before serving it.)

Example 3: Tu aurais pu flamber les crevettes pour donner plus de saveur au plat. (You could have flamed the shrimp to give more flavor to the dish.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais flambé Si j’avais gagné au loto, j’aurais flambé. If I had won the lottery, I would have splurged.
tu aurais flambé Tu aurais flambé ton argent en un mois. You would have spent all your money in a month.
il aurait flambé Il aurait flambé sa carte de crédit. He would have maxed out his credit card.
elle aurait flambé Elle aurait flambé ses économies. She would have blown her savings.
on aurait flambé On aurait flambé notre argent en vacances. We would have spent all our money on vacation.
nous aurions flambé Nous aurions flambé en achetant une nouvelle maison. We would have splurged on buying a new house.
vous auriez flambé Vous auriez flambé en achetant une voiture de luxe. You would have splurged on buying a luxury car.
ils auraient flambé Ils auraient flambé en faisant des folies. They would have spent wildly.
elles auraient flambé Elles auraient flambé en faisant du shopping. They (female) would have shopped excessively.

Other Conjugations for Flamber.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb flamber
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Flamber – 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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