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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fretter

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The English translation of the French verb fretter is “to worry” or “to be anxious.” It is pronounced as “freh-teh” in the infinitive form.

Fretter comes from the Old French word “frete,” which means “to fret” or “to gnaw.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain past action. This tense is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of the usage of fretter in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais moins fretter. (If I had known, I wouldn’t have worried so much.)

  2. Il aurait été plus tranquille s’il n’avait pas tant fretter. (He would have been calmer if he hadn’t worried so much.)

  3. Nous serions partis plus tôt si tu n’avais pas tant fretter. (We would have left earlier if you hadn’t worried so much.)

  4. If I had known, I wouldn’t have worried so much.

  5. He would have been calmer if he hadn’t worried so much.

  6. We would have left earlier if you hadn’t worried so much.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais frette Si j’avais su, je t’aurais frette. I would have frittered away.
tu aurais frette Tu aurais frette plus tôt. You would have frittered away earlier.
il aurait frette Il aurait frette son argent. He would have frittered away his money.
elle aurait frette Elle aurait frette son temps. She would have frittered away her time.
on aurait frette On aurait frette de l’argent. One would have frittered away money.
nous aurions frette Nous aurions frette notre argent. We would have frittered away our money.
vous auriez frette Vous auriez frette sans réfléchir. You would have frittered away without thinking.
ils auraient frette Ils auraient frette leur salaire. They would have frittered away their salary.
elles auraient frette Elles auraient frette leur temps. They (female) would have frittered away their time.

Other Conjugations for Fretter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fretter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Fretter – 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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