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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gironner

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The English translation of the French verb gironner is “to circle around” or “to spin around.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “zhee-roh-nay.”

The word gironner comes from the Old French word “girouner,” meaning “to turn around.” It is derived from the Latin word “gyrare,” which means “to turn” or “to revolve.” In everyday French, gironner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which corresponds to the English “would have + past participle.”

Here are three simple examples of using gironner in the Conditionnel Passé tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su que tu étais malade, j’aurais gironné autour de toi toute la nuit. (If I had known you were sick, I would have circled around you all night.)

  2. Nous aurions gironné dans les rues de Paris toute la journée si le temps avait été meilleur. (We would have wandered around the streets of Paris all day if the weather had been better.)

  3. Elle aurait gironné autour de lui toute la soirée si elle n’avait pas dû partir tôt. (She would have spun around him all evening if she didn’t have to leave early.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais gironné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais gironné. I would have spun you around.
tu aurais gironné Tu aurais gironné toute la journée. You would have spun around all day.
il aurait gironné Il aurait gironné avec ses amis. He would have spun around with his friends.
elle aurait gironné Elle aurait gironné sur la piste de danse. She would have spun around on the dance floor.
on aurait gironné On aurait gironné comme des fous. We would have spun around like crazy.
nous aurions gironné Nous aurions gironné sur la musique. We would have spun around to the music.
vous auriez gironné Vous auriez gironné ensemble. You would have spun around together.
ils auraient gironné Ils auraient gironné pour s’amuser. They would have spun around for fun.
elles auraient gironné Elles auraient gironné dans la rue. They (female) would have spun around in the street.

Other Conjugations for Gironner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gironner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Gironner – 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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