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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gléner

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The English translation of the French verb gléner is “to glean.” It is pronounced “glay-nay.”

The verb gléner comes from the Old French word “glaener,” which is derived from the Latin word “glanare,” meaning “to gather” or “to glean.” Gleaning is the act of gathering leftover crops from a field after the main harvest has been completed.

In everyday French, gléner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or imaginary action that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met. For example, “Si j’avais été là, j’aurais glané quelques pommes” translates to “If I had been there, I would have gleaned some apples.”

Here are three simple examples of gléner in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si tu avais passé plus de temps à la ferme, tu aurais glané plus de raisins. (If you had spent more time at the farm, you would have gleaned more grapes.)
  2. Nous aurions glané plus de légumes si le temps avait été meilleur. (We would have gleaned more vegetables if the weather had been better.)
  3. Si vous aviez laissé les enfants avec moi, j’aurais glané des fleurs pour la maison. (If you had left the children with me, I would have gleaned some flowers for the house.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais gléné J’aurais gléné si j’avais su. I would have gathered if I had known.
tu aurais gléné Tu aurais gléné plus tôt. You would have gathered earlier.
il aurait gléné Il aurait gléné des informations. He would have gathered information.
elle aurait gléné Elle aurait gléné avec eux. She would have gathered with them.
on aurait gléné On aurait gléné ensemble. One would have gathered together.
nous aurions gléné Nous aurions gléné le blé. We would have gathered the wheat.
vous auriez gléné Vous auriez gléné des fleurs. You would have gathered flowers.
ils auraient gléné Ils auraient gléné des fruits. They would have gathered fruits.
elles auraient gléné Elles auraient gléné des champignons. They (female) would have gathered mushrooms.

Other Conjugations for Gléner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gléner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Gléner – 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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