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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb abandonner

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The English translation of the French verb “abandonner” is “to abandon” or “to give up.” The infinitive form “abandonner” is pronounced as ah-bahn-doh-nay.

The verb “abandonner” originated from the Latin word “abandonare,” which means “to give over.” In everyday French, “abandonner” is commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or unreal action that would have occurred in the past.

Here are three examples of “abandonner” used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais abandonné ce projet.
    If I had had more time, I would have given up on this project.

  2. S’ils nous avaient écoutés, nous aurions abandonné cette idée depuis longtemps.
    If they had listened to us, we would have abandoned this idea a long time ago.

  3. Je me demande ce qui se serait passé si nous avions abandonné nos rêves.
    I wonder what would have happened if we had given up on our dreams.

Note that in these examples, the Conditionnel Passé tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle “abandonné.”

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais abandonné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais abandonné. I would have abandoned you.
tu aurais abandonné Tu aurais abandonné plus tôt. You would have abandoned earlier.
il aurait abandonné Il aurait abandonné son projet. He would have abandoned his project.
elle aurait abandonné Elle aurait abandonné ses rêves. She would have abandoned her dreams.
on aurait abandonné On aurait abandonné cette idée. One would have abandoned this idea.
nous aurions abandonné Nous aurions abandonné nos espoirs. We would have abandoned our hopes.
vous auriez abandonné Vous auriez abandonné cette maison. You would have abandoned this house.
ils auraient abandonné Ils auraient abandonné leurs amis. They would have abandoned their friends.
elles auraient abandonné Elles auraient abandonné leurs projets. They (fem) would have abandoned their projects.

Other Conjugations for Abandonner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abandonner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abandonner

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

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abandonner

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abandonner

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abandonner

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Abandonner – 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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