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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb galérer

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The English translation of the French verb galérer is “to struggle” or “to have a hard time.” It is pronounced “ga-leh-rey.”

The word “galérer” comes from the word “galère,” which refers to a type of boat used in ancient times for transportation and navigation. The term “galérer” first appeared in the French language in the 16th century and was used to describe the difficult and strenuous work of rowing these boats.

In everyday French, galérer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met. It is often used to talk about difficult situations or struggles that someone may have experienced in the past.

Three simple examples of galérer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais perdu mon travail, j’aurais galéré pour payer mes factures. (If I had lost my job, I would have struggled to pay my bills.)

  2. Tu aurais galéré si tu avais dû faire ce travail tout seul. (You would have struggled if you had to do this work all by yourself.)

  3. Nous aurions galéré pour trouver un logement dans cette ville. (We would have had a hard time finding housing in this city.)

The English translations of these sentences are given in parentheses.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais galéré Si tu m’avais aidé, j’aurais galéré moins. If you had helped me, I would have struggled less.
tu aurais galéré Tu aurais galéré sans moi. You would have struggled without me.
il aurait galéré Il aurait galéré pour trouver un emploi. He would have struggled to find a job.
elle aurait galéré Elle aurait galéré avec ses études. She would have struggled with her studies.
on aurait galéré On aurait galéré pendant le voyage. One would have struggled during the trip.
nous aurions galéré Nous aurions galéré pour trouver un logement. We would have struggled to find a place to live.
vous auriez galéré Vous auriez galéré sans mon aide. You would have struggled without my help.
ils auraient galéré Ils auraient galéré sans argent. They would have struggled without money.
elles auraient galéré Elles auraient galéré pour réussir l’examen. They (female) would have struggled to pass the exam.

Other Conjugations for Galérer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb galérer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Galérer – 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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