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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fricoter

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The English translation of the French verb fricoter is “to fricassee” or “to cook in a light sauce”. The infinitive form is pronounced “free-ko-tay”.

Fricoter comes from the noun “fricot”, which originally meant a small, savory dish. It is believed to come from the Old French word “frire”, which means “to fry” or “to cook in oil”. In modern French, fricoter is most often used in a colloquial sense, meaning “to have a good time” or “to mess around”.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, fricoter is used to express a hypothetical or unreal past action. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of fricoter. For example:

  1. Si j’avais fricoté hier soir, je serais fatigué aujourd’hui. (If I had cooked last night, I would be tired today.)
  2. Il aurait fricoté avec mes amis s’il avait été à la fête. (He would have had a good time with my friends if he had come to the party.)
  3. Nous aurions fricoté toute la journée si le temps avait été meilleur. (We would have messed around all day if the weather had been better.)

In these examples, the verb fricoter is used in the colloquial sense, meaning “to have a good time”. However, it can also be used in its literal sense of “to cook in a light sauce”. Here are three examples of fricoter being used in this way in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais fricoté hier soir, nous aurions mangé un délicieux repas. (If I had cooked last night, we would have eaten a delicious meal.)
  2. Tu aurais fricoté avec les légumes si tu avais su comment les préparer. (You would have cooked the vegetables in a light sauce if you had known how to prepare them.)
  3. Elles auraient fricoté ensemble pendant des heures si elles avaient eu plus de temps. (They would have cooked together for hours if they had had more time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais fricoté Si j’avais le temps, je t’aurais fricoté un bon repas. If I had the time, I would have cooked you a nice meal.
tu aurais fricoté Tu aurais fricoté avec lui. You would have fooled around with him.
il aurait fricoté Il aurait fricoté avec ses copains. He would have hung out with his friends.
elle aurait fricoté Elle aurait fricoté pour se distraire. She would have fooled around to entertain herself.
on aurait fricoté On aurait fricoté toute la journée. We would have fooled around all day.
nous aurions fricoté Nous aurions fricoté en secret. We would have snuck around secretly.
vous auriez fricoté Vous auriez fricoté dans la cuisine. You would have fooled around in the kitchen.
ils auraient fricoté Ils auraient fricoté avec les filles. They would have fooled around with the girls.
elles auraient fricoté Elles auraient fricoté pour passer le temps. They (female) would have fooled around to pass the time.

Other Conjugations for Fricoter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Fricoter – 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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