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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb absenter

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The English translation of the French verb absenter is “to be absent” or “to absent oneself.” The infinitive form, absenter, is pronounced “ab-sahn-tey” with the stress on the last syllable.

The verb absenter comes from the Latin word “absentare,” which means “to be absent.” It has been used in French since the 15th century.

In everyday French, absenter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical action or event that could have taken place in the past. This tense is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are 3 simple examples of absenter in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su, je me serais absenté à la réunion. (If I had known, I would have been absent from the meeting.)

  2. Tu t’absenterais souvent si tu avais un travail à distance ? (Would you often be absent if you had a remote job?)

  3. Elle se serait absenteé plus tôt si elle n’avait pas eu de problème de transport. (She would have left earlier if she hadn’t had a transportation problem.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known, I would have been absent from the meeting.

  2. Would you often be absent if you had a remote job?

  3. She would have left earlier if she hadn’t had a transportation problem.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais absenté J’ai eu un problème de santé, je me serais absenté. I would have been absent because of a health problem.
tu te serais absenté Tu n’aurais peut-être pas réussi si tu te serais absenté. You wouldn’t have succeeded if you had been absent.
il se serait absenté Il se serait absenté pour un voyage d’affaires. He would have been absent for a business trip.
elle se serait absentée Elle se serait absentée pour un mariage. She would have been absent for a wedding.
on se serait absenté On se serait absenté sans prévenir. One would have been absent without informing anyone.
nous nous serions absentés Nous nous serions absentés pour les vacances. We would have been absent for the holidays.
vous vous seriez absentés Si vous vous seriez absentés, qui aurait fait le travail ? If you had been absent, who would have done the work?
ils se seraient absentés Ils se seraient absentés pour protester. They would have been absent to protest.
elles se seraient absentées Elles se seraient absentées pour assister à un concert. They (female) would have been absent to attend a concert.

Other Conjugations for Absenter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb absenter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Absenter – 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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