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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb girouetter

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The English translation of the French verb girouetter is “to swivel” or “to spin.” It is pronounced as “jee-roo-eh-tay.”

The origin of girouetter can be traced back to the Old French word “girouet,” which means “weathercock.” This word is derived from the Old High German word “giro,” meaning “circle” and the Old French suffix “-et,” which denotes a small object. In everyday French, girouetter is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or future action that is dependent on a condition being met in the past.

Here are three examples of girouetter being used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu une équipe plus compétente, j’aurais pu girouetter plus rapidement et livrer le projet à temps. (If I had had a more competent team, I could have swiveled faster and delivered the project on time.)

  2. Je me serais senti plus à l’aise si je n’avais pas dû girouetter devant tout le monde pour trouver une place assise. (I would have felt more comfortable if I didn’t have to spin around in front of everyone to find a seat.)

  3. Si nous avions pris le temps de bien réfléchir, nous n’aurions pas girouetté d’une idée à l’autre sans arrêt. (If we had taken the time to think things through, we wouldn’t have constantly swiveled from one idea to another.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais girouetté Si j’avais su, je me serais girouetté. I would have changed my mind.
tu aurais girouetté Tu aurais girouetté plus tôt. You would have changed your mind earlier.
il aurait girouetté Il aurait girouetté sur la décision. He would have changed his mind about the decision.
elle aurait girouetté Elle aurait girouetté entre les deux options. She would have wavered between the two options.
on aurait girouetté On aurait girouetté à chaque changement de direction. One would have changed their mind with every change of direction.
nous aurions girouetté Nous aurions girouetté selon notre humeur. We would have changed our minds depending on our mood.
vous auriez girouetté Vous auriez girouetté pour trouver une solution. You would have changed your mind to find a solution.
ils auraient girouetté Ils auraient girouetté avant de prendre une décision. They would have changed their minds before making a decision.
elles auraient girouetté Elles auraient girouetté entre les différentes options. They (female) would have wavered between the different options.

Other Conjugations for Girouetter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb girouetter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Girouetter – 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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