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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb froncer

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The English translation of the French verb froncer is “to frown” or “to wrinkle.” It is pronounced as “fron-say” in its infinitive form.

The language origin of froncer can be traced back to the Old French word “froichier,” which means “to wrinkle.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is formed with the auxiliary verb “aurais” (would have) followed by the past participle of froncer.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais vu cette photo, j’aurais froncé les sourcils. (If I had seen this photo, I would have frowned.)

  2. Tu aurais froncé le nez si tu avais mangé ce fromage. (You would have wrinkled your nose if you had eaten this cheese.)

  3. Ils auraient froncé les rideaux si on leur avait demandé de partir. (They would have wrinkle their brows if we had asked them to leave.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais froncé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais froncé les sourcils. If I had known, I would have frowned at you.
tu aurais froncé Tu aurais froncé les sourcils aussi. You would have also frowned.
il aurait froncé Il aurait froncé les sourcils en voyant ça. He would have frowned upon seeing that.
elle aurait froncé Elle aurait froncé les sourcils à l’idée. She would have frowned at the idea.
on aurait froncé On aurait froncé les sourcils en entendant ça. One would have frowned upon hearing that.
nous aurions froncé Nous aurions froncé les sourcils ensemble. We would have frowned together.
vous auriez froncé Vous auriez froncé les sourcils en signe de mécontentement. You would have frowned in a sign of discontent.
ils auraient froncé Ils auraient froncé les sourcils devant cette situation. They would have frowned at this situation.
elles auraient froncé Elles auraient froncé les sourcils en guise de protestation. They (female) would have frowned in protest.

Other Conjugations for Froncer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb froncer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Froncer – 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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