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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb abuser

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The English translation of the French verb abuser is “to abuse” or “to take advantage of.” The infinitive form, “abuser,” is pronounced as ah-byoo-zay.

The word abuser comes from the Latin word “abusus,” meaning “misuse” or “excessive use.” It entered the French language in the 12th century, originally meaning “to misuse” or “to maltreat.”

In everyday French, abuser is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses actions or situations that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus d’argent, j’aurais abusé des soldes. (If I had had more money, I would have taken advantage of the sales.)
  2. Elle aurait abusé de sa position pour obtenir des faveurs. (She would have abused her position to obtain favors.)
  3. Si tu avais su, tu n’aurais pas abusé de ma gentillesse. (If you had known, you wouldn’t have taken advantage of my kindness.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais abusé Si j’avais pu, j’aurais abusé. If I had been able to, I would have abused.
tu aurais abusé Tu aurais abusé de mon amitié. You would have taken advantage of my friendship.
il aurait abusé Il aurait abusé de son pouvoir. He would have abused his power.
elle aurait abusé Elle aurait abusé du système. She would have abused the system.
on aurait abusé On aurait abusé des privilèges. One would have abused privileges.
nous aurions abusé Nous aurions abusé du permis. We would have abused the permit.
vous auriez abusé Vous auriez abusé de vos pouvoirs. You would have abused your powers.
ils auraient abusé Ils auraient abusé de la situation. They would have taken advantage of the situation.
elles auraient abusé Elles auraient abusé de leur force. They (female) would have misused their strength.

Other Conjugations for Abuser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abuser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Abuser – 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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