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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb acquitter

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The English translation of the French verb acquitter is “to acquit” or “to clear someone of guilt”. It is pronounced as “ah-kee-tay”.

The word acquitter is derived from the Latin word “ad-” meaning “to” and “quietus” meaning “quiet”. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or imaginary action in the past.

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

  1. Si j’avais été l’avocat de défense, j’aurais acquitté l’accusé.
    Translation: If I had been the defense lawyer, I would have acquitted the accused.

  2. Elle aurait été condamnée à tort si le vrai coupable avait été acquitté.
    Translation: She would have been wrongly convicted if the real culprit had been acquitted.

  3. S’ils avaient été acquittés, ils n’auraient pas été en prison pendant toutes ces années.
    Translation: If they had been acquitted, they wouldn’t have been in prison all these years.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais acquitté Si j’avais été innocent, je m’aurais acquitté. If I had been innocent, I would have acquitted myself.
tu aurais acquitté Tu aurais acquitté la dette. You would have paid off the debt.
il aurait acquitté Il aurait acquitté les accusés. He would have acquitted the accused.
elle aurait acquitté Elle aurait acquitté ses dettes. She would have paid off her debts.
on aurait acquitté On aurait dû s’acquitter de cette tâche. One should have completed this task.
nous aurions acquitté Nous aurions acquitté nos dettes. We would have paid off our debts.
vous auriez acquitté Vous auriez acquitté les frais. You would have covered the expenses.
ils auraient acquitté Ils auraient acquitté leur peine. They would have served their sentence.
elles auraient acquitté Elles auraient acquitté les factures. They (female) would have paid the bills.

Other Conjugations for Acquitter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acquitter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Acquitter – 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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