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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb flâner

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The English translation of the French verb flâner is “to stroll” or “to wander.” It can also carry connotations of leisurely walking without purpose or to daydream.

The infinitive form, flâner, is pronounced “flah-nay.”

The word flâner originated from the Old Norse word “flana,” meaning to wander or stray. It was adopted into Middle French as “flaner” before evolving into its current form, “flâner,” in Modern French.

In every day French, flâner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical action in the past or a past action that did not happen. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of flâner.

Some examples of flâner in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais le temps, j’aurais flâné dans les rues de Paris toute la journée. (If I had the time, I would have strolled through the streets of Paris all day.)

  2. Tu serais parti plus tôt si tu n’avais pas flâné dans les magasins. (You would have left earlier if you hadn’t wandered around the shops.)

  3. Elle aurait aimé flâner sur la plage plutôt que d’aller au musée. (She would have preferred to wander on the beach instead of going to the museum.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais flâné Si j’avais le temps, je flânerais. If I had the time, I would stroll.
tu aurais flâné Tu aurais flâné dans la ville. You would have wandered around the city.
il aurait flâné Il aurait flâné au bord du fleuve. He would have strolled by the river.
elle aurait flâné Elle aurait flâné dans les boutiques. She would have window-shopped.
on aurait flâné On aurait flâné dans le parc. One would have strolled in the park.
nous aurions flâné Nous aurions flâné au soleil. We would have strolled in the sun.
vous auriez flâné Vous auriez flâné sur la plage. You would have strolled on the beach.
ils auraient flâné Ils auraient flâné dans la nature. They would have wandered in nature.
elles auraient flâné Elles auraient flâné en ville. They (female) would have strolled around the city.

Other Conjugations for Flâner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb flâner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Flâner – 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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