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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gaffer

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The English translation of the French verb gaffer is “to make a mistake” or “to screw up.” It is pronounced as “gah-fay” in its infinitive form.

The word “gaffer” comes from the Old French word “gafer” which means “to seize” or “to hold onto tightly.” Over time, its meaning evolved to also include the idea of clumsiness or mishandling, resulting in its modern meaning of making a mistake.

In everyday French, gaffer is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a regret about a past action or to indicate something that could have been done differently. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’aurais dû écouter mon père, j’ai gaffé en ne suivant pas ses conseils.
    Translation: I should have listened to my father, I made a mistake by not following his advice.

  2. Si j’avais suivi mon intuition, je n’aurais pas gaffé dans ce projet.
    Translation: If I had followed my intuition, I wouldn’t have made a mistake in this project.

  3. Nous aurions pu gagner le match si notre gardien n’avait pas gaffé au dernier moment.
    Translation: We could have won the game if our goalkeeper hadn’t made a mistake at the last moment.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais gaffé Si j’avais su, j’aurais gaffé. I would have made a mistake.
tu aurais gaffé Tu aurais gaffé plus tôt. You would have made a mistake earlier.
il aurait gaffé Il aurait gaffé au travail. He would have made a mistake at work.
elle aurait gaffé Elle aurait gaffé avec son discours. She would have made a mistake with her speech.
on aurait gaffé On aurait gaffé en public. One would have made a mistake in public.
nous aurions gaffé Nous aurions gaffé en chantant. We would have made a mistake while singing.
vous auriez gaffé Vous auriez gaffé avec le projet. You would have made a mistake with the project.
ils auraient gaffé Ils auraient gaffé en bricolant. They would have made a mistake while tinkering.
elles auraient gaffé Elles auraient gaffé pendant le spectacle. They (female) would have made a mistake during the show.

Other Conjugations for Gaffer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gaffer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Gaffer – 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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