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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb abîmer

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The English translation of the French verb abîmer is “to damage” or “to spoil.” The infinitive form of abîmer is pronounced “ah-bee-may.”

The language origin of abîmer can be traced back to the Latin word “abīmere,” which means “to take away” or “to destroy.” In everyday French, abîmer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Examples of abîmer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si tu n’avais pas fait tomber mon téléphone, il ne serait pas abîmé. (If you hadn’t dropped my phone, it wouldn’t have been damaged.)
  2. J’aurais été très en colère si tu avais abîmé ma nouvelle voiture. (I would have been very angry if you had damaged my new car.)
  3. Si elle avait suivi mes instructions, elle n’aurait pas abîmé sa robe. (If she had followed my instructions, she wouldn’t have spoiled her dress.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais abîmé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais abîmé. I would have damaged you.
tu aurais abîmé Tu aurais abîmé le livre. You would have damaged the book.
il aurait abîmé Il aurait abîmé la voiture. He would have damaged the car.
elle aurait abîmé Elle aurait abîmé ses chaussures. She would have damaged her shoes.
on aurait abîmé On aurait abîmé le jardin. One would have damaged the garden.
nous aurions abîmé Nous aurions abîmé la maison. We would have damaged the house.
vous auriez abîmé Vous auriez abîmé le vase. You would have damaged the vase.
ils auraient abîmé Ils auraient abîmé leur réputation. They would have damaged their reputation.
elles auraient abîmé Elles auraient abîmé leur amitié. They (female) would have damaged their friendship.

Other Conjugations for Abîmer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abîmer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Abîmer – 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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