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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb foirer

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The English translation of the French verb foirer is “to mess up” or “to fail”. It is pronounced “fwah-reh” in its infinitive form.

The origin of the word foirer comes from the old French word “foire” which means “fair” or “market”. In this context, it referred to the failure or disappointment of a business venture at a fair or market. Over time, the word evolved to also mean “to fail” or “to mess up” in a more general sense.

In everyday French, foirer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical action or situation in the past. It is often used to talk about a situation that could have turned out differently if different actions had been taken.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Si j’avais écouté tes conseils, je n’aurais pas foiré mon examen. (If I had listened to your advice, I wouldn’t have failed my exam.)

  2. Elle aurait pu réussir son projet, mais elle a foiré au dernier moment. (She could have succeeded in her project, but she messed up at the last minute.)

  3. Nous aurions gagné la compétition si notre coéquipier n’avait pas foiré son lancer. (We would have won the competition if our teammate hadn’t failed his throw.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais foiré Si j’avais su, j’aurais foiré mon examen. If I had known, I would have failed my exam.
tu aurais foiré Tu aurais foiré ton rendez-vous. You would have missed your appointment.
il aurait foiré Il aurait foiré la recette. He would have messed up the recipe.
elle aurait foiré Elle aurait foiré la présentation. She would have botched the presentation.
on aurait foiré On aurait foiré notre voyage. We would have screwed up our trip.
nous aurions foiré Nous aurions foiré cette mission. We would have failed this mission.
vous auriez foiré Vous auriez foiré l’opportunité. You would have missed the opportunity.
ils auraient foiré Ils auraient foiré leur projet. They would have messed up their project.
elles auraient foiré Elles auraient foiré leur chance. They (female) would have ruined their chance.

Other Conjugations for Foirer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb foirer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Foirer – 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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