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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bouffonner

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The English translation of the French verb bouffonner is “to clown around” or “to act like a fool.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “boo-foh-nay.”

The word bouffonner comes from the French noun bouffon, which means “jester” or “clown.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action.

3 examples of bouffonner in the Conditionnel Présent tense with their English translations are:

  1. Si j’étais plus jeune, je bouffonnerais tout le temps. (If I were younger, I would clown around all the time.)

  2. Tu me manquerais si tu ne bouffonnais pas autant. (I would miss you if you didn’t act like such a fool.)

  3. Nous ne bouffonnerions pas si nous étions en public. (We wouldn’t clown around if we were in public.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je bouffonnerais Je bouffonnerais avec mes amis. I would joke around with my friends.
tu bouffonnerais Tu bouffonnerais bien. You would joke around well.
il bouffonnerait Il bouffonnerait s’il était de bonne humeur. He would joke around if he was in a good mood.
elle bouffonnerait Elle bouffonnerait pour faire rire les autres. She would joke around to make others laugh.
on bouffonnerait On bouffonnerait lors d’un spectacle. One would joke around during a show.
nous bouffonnerions Nous bouffonnerions en faisant du théâtre. We would joke around while doing theater.
vous bouffonneriez Vous bouffonneriez pendant une fête. You would joke around at a party.
ils bouffonneraient Ils bouffonneraient pour détendre l’atmosphère. They would joke around to lighten the mood.
elles bouffonneraient Elles bouffonneraient devant un public. They would joke around in front of an audience.

Other Conjugations for Bouffonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bouffonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bouffonner – 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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