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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb foncer

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The English translation of the French verb foncer is “to rush” or “to charge.” The infinitive form, “foncer,” is pronounced as “fawn-say.”

The language origin of foncer can be traced back to the Latin word “fons,” which means “source” or “spring.” In everyday French, foncer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or future action in the past.

Three examples of foncer in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their English translations, are:

  1. Si j’avais vu le danger, j’aurais foncé vers la sortie. (If I had seen the danger, I would have rushed towards the exit.)
  2. Nous aurions foncé sur ces opportunités si elles avaient été présentées plus tôt. (We would have charged for these opportunities if they had been presented earlier.)
  3. Tu aurais foncé sur le gâteau si tu avais su qu’il était fait maison. (You would have rushed for the cake if you had known it was homemade.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais foncé Si j’avais su, j’aurais foncé. If I had known, I would have charged ahead.
tu aurais foncé Tu aurais foncé plus tôt. You would have charged ahead earlier.
il aurait foncé Il aurait foncé dans la salle. He would have rushed into the room.
elle aurait foncé Elle aurait foncé vers la sortie. She would have headed towards the exit.
on aurait foncé On aurait foncé dans le brouillard. One would have charged ahead in the fog.
nous aurions foncé Nous aurions foncé vers l’objectif. We would have charged towards the objective.
vous auriez foncé Vous auriez foncé avec nous. You would have charged ahead with us.
ils auraient foncé Ils auraient foncé sur le terrain. They would have charged ahead on the field.
elles auraient foncé Elles auraient foncé vers le but. They (female) would have headed towards the goal.

Other Conjugations for Foncer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb foncer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Foncer – 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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