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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fredonner

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The English translation of the French verb fredonner is “to hum” or “to sing lightly.” It is pronounced “fre-doh-nay.”

The word fredonner comes from the Old French word “fredoner,” which means “to make a low noise.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais fredonné cette chanson jusqu’au bout. (If I had had more time, I would have hummed this song until the end.)

  2. Elle aurait fredonné un air entraînant pendant qu’elle faisait la cuisine. (She would have hummed a catchy tune while she was cooking.)

  3. Nous aurions fredonné ensemble les paroles de cette chanson. (We would have hummed the lyrics of this song together.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais fredonné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais fredonné un air. I would have hummed a tune for you.
tu aurais fredonné Tu aurais fredonné cette chanson. You would have hummed this song.
il aurait fredonné Il aurait fredonné la mélodie. He would have hummed the melody.
elle aurait fredonné Elle aurait fredonné en cuisinant. She would have hummed while cooking.
on aurait fredonné On aurait fredonné ensemble. We would have hummed together.
nous aurions fredonné Nous aurions fredonné en marchant. We would have hummed while walking.
vous auriez fredonné Vous auriez fredonné de bon cœur. You would have hummed cheerfully.
ils auraient fredonné Ils auraient fredonné pendant tout le trajet. They would have hummed during the whole trip.
elles auraient fredonné Elles auraient fredonné en travaillant. They (female) would have hummed while working.

Other Conjugations for Fredonner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fredonner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Fredonner – 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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