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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb abdiquer

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of abdiquer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “abdiquer” is “to abdicate.” The infinitive form of “abdiquer” is pronounced as [ab-di-keh].

“Abdiquer” comes from the Latin word “abdico,” which means “to give up” or “to renounce.” It is commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense to talk about hypothetical actions or events in the past.

Here are three examples of “abdiquer” in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais été roi, j’aurais abdiqué après un an.
    (If I had been a king, I would have abdicated after one year.)

  2. Ils auraient abdiqué si les conditions avaient été différentes.
    (They would have abdicated if the conditions had been different.)

  3. Nous aurions abdiqué nos responsabilités si nous n’avions pas été informés.
    (We would have abdicated our responsibilities if we had not been informed.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais abdiqué Si j’avais su, j’aurais abdiqué. I would have abdicated.
tu aurais abdiqué Tu aurais abdiqué plus tôt. You would have abdicated earlier.
il aurait abdiqué Il aurait abdiqué le trône. He would have abdicated the throne.
elle aurait abdiqué Elle aurait abdiqué ses responsabilités. She would have abdicated her responsibilities.
on aurait abdiqué On aurait abdiqué devant la pression. One would have abdicated under the pressure.
nous aurions abdiqué Nous aurions abdiqué en faveur de la paix. We would have abdicated in favor of peace.
vous auriez abdiqué Vous auriez abdiqué votre pouvoir. You would have abdicated your power.
ils auraient abdiqué Ils auraient abdiqué leurs titres. They would have abdicated their titles.
elles auraient abdiqué Elles auraient abdiqué leur autorité. They (fem.) would have abdicated their authority.

Other Conjugations for Abdiquer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the abdiquer Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Abdiquer – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb abdiquer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply