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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gaver

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The English translation of the French verb gaver is “to stuff” or “to force-feed.” It is pronounced as “ga-veh” in the infinitive form.

The word “gaver” comes from the Old French word “gave” which means “crop” and is also related to the Latin word “gavia” meaning “throat.” In everyday French, the verb “gaver” is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which indicates a hypothetical action that would have taken place in the past.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais écouté mes parents, je ne me serais pas gavé de bonbons. (If I had listened to my parents, I wouldn’t have stuffed myself with candies.)
  2. Ils auraient mieux fait de ne pas gaver le chien avec des restes de table. (They would have been better off not force-feeding the dog with table scraps.)
  3. Tu aurais dû me dire que tu étais allergique, au lieu de te gaver de fruits de mer. (You should have told me you were allergic, instead of stuffing yourself with seafood.)

Translation:

  1. If I had listened to my parents, I wouldn’t have stuffed myself with candies.
  2. They would have been better off not force-feeding the dog with table scraps.
  3. You should have told me you were allergic, instead of stuffing yourself with seafood.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais gavé Si je n’avais pas mangé, j’aurais gavé. If I hadn’t eaten, I would have stuffed.
tu aurais gavé Tu aurais gavé tes invités. You would have overfed your guests.
il aurait gavé Il aurait gavé ses chiens. He would have fed his dogs too much.
elle aurait gavé Elle aurait gavé son bébé. She would have stuffed her baby.
on aurait gavé On aurait gavé les animaux. One would have overfed the animals.
nous aurions gavé Nous aurions gavé les canards. We would have force-fed the ducks.
vous auriez gavé Vous auriez gavé les oies. You would have stuffed the geese.
ils auraient gavé Ils auraient gavé leurs enfants. They would have overfed their children.
elles auraient gavé Elles auraient gavé leurs maris. They (female) would have stuffed their husbands.

Other Conjugations for Gaver.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gaver
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Gaver – 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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