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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb adapter

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of adapter. 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 adapter is “to adapt.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced ah-dap-tey.

The word adapter comes from the Latin word adaptare, which means “to fit, adjust, or modify to suit a particular purpose.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a past hypothetical action or situation.

Three simple examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais adapté mon discours. (If I had known, I would have adapted my speech.)
  2. Nous aurions dû adapter notre stratégie pour réussir. (We should have adapted our strategy to succeed.)
  3. Vous auriez pu vous adapter à la nouvelle situation. (You could have adapted to the new situation.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known, I would have adapted my speech.
  2. We should have adapted our strategy to succeed.
  3. You could have adapted to the new situation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais adapté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais adapté. I would have adapted to you.
tu aurais adapté Tu aurais adapté plus tôt. You would have adapted earlier.
il aurait adapté Il aurait adapté sa méthode. He would have adapted his method.
elle aurait adapté Elle aurait adapté à la situation. She would have adapted to the situation.
on aurait adapté On aurait adapté notre plan. One would have adapted our plan.
nous aurions adapté Nous aurions adapté à la culture. We would have adapted to the culture.
vous auriez adapté Vous auriez adapté votre comportement. You would have adapted your behavior.
ils auraient adapté Ils auraient adapté leur stratégie. They would have adapted their strategy.
elles auraient adapté Elles auraient adapté leur discours. They (female) would have adapted their speech.

Other Conjugations for Adapter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb adapter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    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 adapter Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply