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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb accrocher

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of accrocher. 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 accrocher is “to hang (up), to hook (up), to catch (on), to grab (onto).” It is pronounced as “ah-kro-shay.”

The word accrocher comes from the Old French word “acrochier,” which is derived from the Latin word “accrocare,” meaning “to hook,” or “attach.” Over time, the meaning of the word evolved to also include the senses of “to hang,” “to catch,” and “to grab onto.”

In everyday French, accrocher is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

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

  1. Si j’avais accroché le tableau au mur, il ne serait pas tombé. (If I had hung the painting on the wall, it wouldn’t have fallen.)

  2. Nous aurions accroché les rideaux ensemble si nous avions trouvé une échelle. (We would have hung the curtains together if we had found a ladder.)

  3. Tu aurais dû accrocher ton manteau avant de partir. Il fait très froid dehors. (You should have hung your coat before leaving. It is very cold outside.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais accroché Si j’avais su, je me serais accroché à lui. If I had known, I would have clung to him.
tu aurais accroché Tu aurais accroché tes clés au mur. You would have hung your keys on the wall.
il aurait accroché Il aurait accroché la peinture au-dessus du lit. He would have hung the painting above the bed.
elle aurait accroché Elle aurait accroché ses vêtements dans l’armoire. She would have hung her clothes in the closet.
on aurait accroché On aurait accroché un portrait sur le mur. One would have hung a portrait on the wall.
nous aurions accroché Nous aurions accroché nos sacs au porte-manteau. We would have hung our bags on the coat rack.
vous auriez accroché Vous auriez accroché les rideaux à la fenêtre. You would have hung the curtains on the window.
ils auraient accroché Ils auraient accroché leurs vélos à l’abri. They would have hung their bikes in the shelter.
elles auraient accroché Elles auraient accroché les photos au mur. They (female) would have hung the pictures on the wall.

Other Conjugations for Accrocher.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accrocher
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    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 accrocher Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Accrocher – 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 accrocher. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply