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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fulminer

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The English translation of the French verb fulminer is “to thunder” or “to rage.” The infinitive form, fulminer, is pronounced as “fuhl-mee-neh.”

Fulminer comes from the Latin word “fulminare,” which means “to strike with lightning.” It entered the French language in the 16th century and was originally used to describe the act of thundering or roaring like thunder. Over time, it came to also mean “to rage” or “to express strong disapproval or anger.”

In everyday French, fulminer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express hypothetical actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met. For example:

  1. Si vous aviez perdu votre passeport, vous auriez fulminé. (If you had lost your passport, you would have raged.)
  2. Nous aurions fulminé s’il avait plu pendant nos vacances. (We would have raged if it had rained during our vacation.)
  3. Elle aurait fulminé en apprenant la nouvelle. (She would have thundered in anger upon learning the news.)

Overall, fulminer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express strong emotions or reactions to hypothetical situations. It can also be used in the present tense to describe someone who is currently raging or expressing strong anger.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais fulminé Si j’avais su, j’aurais fulminé. I would have ranted.
tu aurais fulminé Tu aurais fulminé plus tôt. You would have ranted earlier.
il aurait fulminé Il aurait fulminé de colère. He would have ranted in anger.
elle aurait fulminé Elle aurait fulminé de frustration. She would have ranted in frustration.
on aurait fulminé On aurait fulminé contre le gouvernement. One would have ranted against the government.
nous aurions fulminé Nous aurions fulminé contre l’injustice. We would have ranted against injustice.
vous auriez fulminé Vous auriez fulminé en silence. You would have ranted silently.
ils auraient fulminé Ils auraient fulminé contre leur patron. They would have ranted against their boss.
elles auraient fulminé Elles auraient fulminé contre la société. They (female) would have ranted against society.

Other Conjugations for Fulminer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fulminer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Fulminer – 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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