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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb balancer

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The English translation of the French verb balancer is “to balance” or “to swing.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “bah-lahn-say.”

The word balancer comes from the French noun “balance,” which has its roots in the Latin word “bilanx,” meaning “two-scaled” or “two-panned.” In everyday French, the verb balancer is used in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which is the conditional tense in English. This tense is used to express an action that could occur under certain conditions or circumstances.

Three simple examples of the usage of balancer in the Conditionnel Présent tense are:

  1. Si j’avais plus de temps, je balancerais entre aller à la plage ou faire du shopping. (If I had more time, I would swing between going to the beach or shopping.)
  2. Tu pourrais balancer la corbeille de fruits pour qu’elle soit bien répartie. (You could balance the fruit basket so that it is evenly distributed.)
  3. Nous pourrions balancer nos idées pour trouver la meilleure solution. (We could balance our ideas to find the best solution.)

In these examples, the verb balancer is conjugated in the conditional tense to express a possibility or potential action. It is often used in everyday French to talk about making decisions, weighing options, or balancing different aspects of a situation.

Table of the Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of balancer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je balancerais Je balancerais du musique. I would blast some music.
tu balancerais Tu balancerais les poubelles. You would throw out the trash.
il balancerait Il balancerait ses problèmes. He would share his problems.
elle balancerait Elle balancerait un compliment. She would give a compliment.
on balancerait On balancerait des idées. One would throw around ideas.
nous balancerions Nous balancerions nos soucis. We would share our worries.
vous balanceriez Vous balanceriez vos opinions. You would express your opinions.
ils balanceraient Ils balanceraient les valises. They would throw the suitcases.
elles balanceraient Elles balanceraient leur colère. They would express their anger.

Other Conjugations for Balancer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balancer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balancer (this article)

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Balancer – About the French Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Présent” tense, often called the present conditional tense in English, is used to express actions or events that are considered hypothetical, possible, or uncertain in the present or future. It’s the equivalent of “would” or “could” in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Conditionnel Présent tense for regular verbs, you take the infinitive form of the verb and add the appropriate endings. For example, using the verb “parler” (to speak): 

Je parlerais (I would speak) 
Tu parlerais (You would speak)
Il/elle/on parlerait (He/she/one would speak)
Nous parlerions (We would speak) 
Vous parleriez (You would speak)
Ils/elles parleraient (They would speak) 

Note – For irregular verbs, the stem might change, so you need to memorize the conjugation.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Polite Requests

The Conditionnel Présent is often used to make polite requests or suggestions. Instead of using the imperative, which can be more direct, the conditional is softer and more courteous. For example: “Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît” (I would like a coffee, please). 

Expressing Hypothetical Situations

It’s used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations. For instance, “Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une nouvelle voiture” (If I had money, I would buy a new car). 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

The conditional can convey doubt or uncertainty about something in the present or future. “Il serait peut-être en retard” (He might be late).

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Tense

The Conditionnel Présent is often used with the present tense to express hypothetical or conditional statements. For example, “Si tu viens demain, nous irons au cinéma” (If you come tomorrow, we will go to the movies). 

Past Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can also be used with past tenses like the imparfait to indicate a past hypothetical action. For instance, “J’aurais aimé être là hier” (I would have liked to be there yesterday). 

Future Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can be combined with the future tense to indicate future actions that are dependent on certain conditions. For example, “Il viendrait si tu l’invitais” (He would come if you invited him).
 

Conditional Perfect

If you want to express a hypothetical action in the past that didn’t happen, you can use the Conditionnel Présent with the past participle to form the conditional perfect. For example, “Il aurait fini son travail s’il n’était pas tombé malade” (He would have finished his work if he hadn’t gotten sick).

Summary

The Conditionnel Présent is a versatile tense in French, allowing speakers to discuss possibilities, hypothetical scenarios, and make polite requests. It’s essential to understand its usage patterns and how it interacts with other tenses to communicate effectively in various situations.

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