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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb acharner

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The English translation of the French verb acharner is “to persist” or “to work relentlessly.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ah-shar-nay.”

The word acharner comes from the Middle French word “acharnier,” which means “to be excessively dedicated.” It can be traced back to the Old French word “acarnier,” meaning “to intensify” or “to sharpen.” In modern French, acharner is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses actions that would have happened in the past if a certain condition had been met.

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

  1. Si j’avais trouvé un emploi, je me serais acharné à le garder. (If I had found a job, I would have worked relentlessly to keep it.)
  2. Nous nous serions acharnés à réparer la voiture si nous avions eu les pièces nécessaires. (We would have persisted in fixing the car if we had had the necessary parts.)
  3. Tu te serais acharné à apprendre le piano si tu avais eu plus de temps libre. (You would have dedicated yourself to learning the piano if you had had more free time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais acharné Si j’avais eu plus de temps, je me serais acharné. If I had more time, I would have persevered.
tu te serais acharné Tu aurais dû te serais acharné. You should have persevered.
il se serait acharné Il se serait acharné pour réussir. He would have worked hard to succeed.
elle se serait acharnée Elle se serait acharnée à trouver une solution. She would have persisted in finding a solution.
on se serait acharné On se serait acharné pour atteindre notre objectif. We would have worked hard to achieve our goal.
nous nous serions acharnés Nous serions acharnés à finir notre projet. We would have been determined to finish our project.
vous vous seriez acharnés Vous seriez acharnés à gagner le match. You would have been determined to win the game.
ils se seraient acharnés Ils se seraient acharnés pour changer les choses. They would have worked hard to change things.
elles se seraient acharnées Elles se seraient acharnées à défendre leurs droits. They (female) would have persevered in defending their rights.

Other Conjugations for Acharner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acharner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Acharner – 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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