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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gargoter

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The English translation of the French verb gargoter is “to chatter.” It is pronounced “gahr-goh-tey” in the infinitive form.

Gargoter comes from the word “gargouiller,” which means “to gurgle” or “to rumble.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe idle or excessive talking, often in a gossipy or frivolous manner.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, gargoter is used to describe chatter that would have occurred in the past, had certain conditions been met. For example:

  1. Si nous avions eu plus de temps, nous aurions gargoté toute la soirée. (If we had had more time, we would have chattered all evening.)

  2. J’aurais aimé être à la soirée hier soir, j’aurais sûrement beaucoup gargoté avec mes amis. (I would have liked to be at the party last night, I would have surely chattered a lot with my friends.)

  3. Tu aurais risqué de te faire attraper en gargotant à la fenêtre de la voisine ! (You would have risked getting caught while chattering at the neighbor’s window!)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais gargoté Si j’avais le temps, j’aurais gargoté. If I had the time, I would have eaten at a small restaurant.
tu aurais gargoté Tu aurais gargoté avec nous. You would have eaten at a small restaurant with us.
il aurait gargoté Il aurait gargoté avec ses amis. He would have eaten at a small restaurant with his friends.
elle aurait gargoté Elle aurait gargoté toute la soirée. She would have eaten at a small restaurant all evening.
on aurait gargoté On aurait gargoté dans le quartier. One would have eaten at a small restaurant in the neighborhood.
nous aurions gargoté Nous aurions gargoté ensemble. We would have eaten at a small restaurant together.
vous auriez gargoté Vous auriez gargoté après le spectacle. You would have eaten at a small restaurant after the show.
ils auraient gargoté Ils auraient gargoté en famille. They would have eaten at a small restaurant with their family.
elles auraient gargoté Elles auraient gargoté avec leurs collègues. They (female) would have eaten at a small restaurant with their colleagues.

Other Conjugations for Gargoter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gargoter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Gargoter – 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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