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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb frétiller

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English translation: The English translation of the French verb frétiller is “to wriggle” or “to squirm.” The infinitive form is pronounced “freh-tee-yay.”

Language origin: Frétiller comes from the French word “fretter” meaning “to quiver” or “to flutter,” which itself is derived from the Latin word “frictare” meaning “to rub.”

Everyday usage in Conditionnel Passé tense: In the Conditionnel Passé tense, frétiller is used to express an action or feeling that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were fulfilled. It is often used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais réussi mon examen, je me serais frétillé de joie. (If I had passed my exam, I would have wriggled with joy.)
  2. Elle aurait frétillé de bonheur si elle avait gagné à la loterie. (She would have squirmed with happiness if she had won the lottery.)
  3. Si tu avais vu le gâteau que j’ai préparé, tu te serais frétillé de plaisir. (If you had seen the cake I made, you would have wriggled with delight.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais frétillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais frétillé. I would have fidgeted.
tu aurais frétillé Tu aurais frétillé plus tôt. You would have fidgeted earlier.
il aurait frétillé Il aurait frétillé de joie. He would have fidgeted with joy.
elle aurait frétillé Elle aurait frétillé de la queue. She would have wagged her tail.
on aurait frétillé On aurait frétillé de bonheur. One would have fidgeted with happiness.
nous aurions frétillé Nous aurions frétillé d’excitation. We would have fidgeted with excitement.
vous auriez frétillé Vous auriez frétillé ensemble. You would have fidgeted together.
ils auraient frétillé Ils auraient frétillé de nervosité. They would have fidgeted with nervousness.
elles auraient frétillé Elles auraient frétillé d’impatience. They (female) would have fidgeted with impatience.

Other Conjugations for Frétiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb frétiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Frétiller – 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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