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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb freiner

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The English translation of the French verb freiner is “to brake.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced as “fruh-nay.”

The word “freiner” comes from the Old French word “frain,” which means “bridle.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to talk about hypothetical or possible actions that would have occurred in the past.

Here are three simple examples of freiner in the Conditionnel Passé tense and their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su qu’il y avait un accident, j’aurais freiné à temps.
    Translation: If I had known there was an accident, I would have braked in time.

  2. Nous aurions pu éviter la collision si le conducteur avait freiné plus tôt.
    Translation: We could have avoided the collision if the driver had braked earlier.

  3. Ils auraient été en retard si le train avait freiné à cause du mauvais temps.
    Translation: They would have been late if the train had braked due to bad weather.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais freiné Si j’avais su, j’aurais freiné. I would have braked.
tu aurais freiné Tu aurais freiné plus tôt. You would have braked earlier.
il aurait freiné Il aurait freiné à temps. He would have braked in time.
elle aurait freiné Elle aurait freiné sur la route. She would have braked on the road.
on aurait freiné On aurait freiné en urgence. One would have braked in emergency.
nous aurions freiné Nous aurions freiné plus fort. We would have braked harder.
vous auriez freiné Vous auriez freiné à leur place. You would have braked in their place.
ils auraient freiné Ils auraient freiné pour éviter. They would have braked to avoid.
elles auraient freiné Elles auraient freiné en panique. They (female) would have braked in panic.

Other Conjugations for Freiner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb freiner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Freiner – 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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