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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb accentuer

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The English translation of the French verb accentuer is “to accentuate” or “to emphasize.” In French, it is pronounced as “ahk-sahn-tew-eh.”

The word accentuer comes from the French noun accent, which ultimately derives from the Latin word accentus meaning “intonation” or “stress.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of putting emphasis on something or making it stand out.

In the Conditionnel Passé (conditional past) tense, accentuer is used to express something that would have been emphasized or accentuated in the past, if certain conditions had been met. This tense is used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations in the past.

Here are three simple examples of accentuer in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais accentué mes efforts pour réussir. (If I had known, I would have emphasized my efforts to succeed.)
  2. S’il avait pris le temps d’accentuer ses propos, il aurait mieux été compris. (If he had taken the time to emphasize his words, he would have been better understood.)
  3. Nous aurions accentué nos inquiétudes si nous avions su que la situation était grave. (We would have emphasized our concerns if we had known that the situation was serious.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais accentué Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais accentué mes connaissances. I would have emphasized my knowledge if I had had more time.
tu aurais accentué Tu aurais accentué la lettre. You would have emphasized the letter.
il aurait accentué Il aurait accentué sa voix. He would have emphasized his voice.
elle aurait accentué Elle aurait accentué son regard. She would have emphasized her gaze.
on aurait accentué On aurait accentué le problème. One would have emphasized the problem.
nous aurions accentué Nous aurions accentué nos efforts. We would have emphasized our efforts.
vous auriez accentué Vous auriez accentué la décoration. You would have accentuated the decoration.
ils auraient accentué Ils auraient accentué le débat. They would have emphasized the debate.
elles auraient accentué Elles auraient accentué leurs différences. They (female) would have emphasized their differences.

Other Conjugations for Accentuer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accentuer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Accentuer – 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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