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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cafouiller

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The English translation of the French verb cafouiller is “to mess up” or “to bungle.” It is pronounced as “ka-foo-lee-ay” in its infinitive form.

Cafouiller comes from the word “fouiller,” which means “to rummage” or “to fumble,” and the prefix “ca,” which adds the meaning of “doing something clumsily.” It is most often used in informal or colloquial French in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action in the present or future.

Examples:

  1. Si tu ne fais pas attention, tu vas cafouiller la recette. (If you’re not careful, you’ll mess up the recipe.)
  2. Je suis sûr qu’il cafouillerait s’il devait faire une présentation devant toute l’équipe. (I’m sure he would bungle if he had to do a presentation in front of the whole team.)
  3. Nous ne cafouillerions pas dans notre travail si nous avions plus de temps. (We wouldn’t mess up in our work if we had more time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je cafouillerais Je cafouillerais avec le câble. I would fumble with the cable.
tu cafouillerais Tu cafouillerais avec les boutons. You would fumble with the buttons.
il cafouillerait Il cafouillerait sans ses lunettes. He would fumble without his glasses.
elle cafouillerait Elle cafouillerait avec ses clés. She would fumble with her keys.
on cafouillerait On cafouillerait avec le code. One would fumble with the code.
nous cafouillerions Nous cafouillerions en travaillant. We would fumble while working.
vous cafouilleriez Vous cafouilleriez avec la technologie. You would fumble with technology.
ils cafouilleraient Ils cafouilleraient en parlant. They would fumble while talking.
elles cafouilleraient Elles cafouilleraient avec les instructions. They would fumble with the instructions.

Other Conjugations for Cafouiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cafouiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cafouiller – 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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