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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fréter

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The English translation of the French verb fréter is “to charter.” It is pronounced “freh-tay.”

The word fréter comes from the Latin word “fractare,” meaning “to break or divide.” It first appeared in Old French as “frete” in the 12th century. In modern French, it is most often used in the context of transportation, specifically for chartering a mode of transportation such as a boat or plane.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, fréter is used to express a hypothetical action or situation in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage:

1) Si j’avais de l’argent, j’aurais frété un avion pour voyager autour du monde. (If I had money, I would have chartered a plane to travel around the world.)
2) Tu aurais frété un bateau pour ta fête d’anniversaire si tu avais su naviguer. (You would have chartered a boat for your birthday party if you knew how to navigate.)
3) Ils auraient frété un bus pour aller à la plage si le temps avait été plus chaud. (They would have chartered a bus to go to the beach if the weather had been warmer.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais frété Si j’avais su, je t’aurais frété. I would have chartered for you.
tu aurais frété Tu aurais frété un bateau. You would have chartered a boat.
il aurait frété Il aurait frété un avion. He would have chartered a plane.
elle aurait frété Elle aurait frété une voiture. She would have chartered a car.
on aurait frété On aurait frété des camions. One would have chartered some trucks.
nous aurions frété Nous aurions frété un yacht. We would have chartered a yacht.
vous auriez frété Vous auriez frété un hélicoptère. You would have chartered a helicopter.
ils auraient frété Ils auraient frété un train. They would have chartered a train.
elles auraient frété Elles auraient frété des vélos. They (female) would have chartered some bikes.

Other Conjugations for Fréter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fréter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Fréter – 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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