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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affermer

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The English translation of the French verb affermer is “to confirm” or “to affirm.” The infinitive form of affermer is pronounced as ah-fehr-may.

The origin of affermer can be traced back to the Latin word “affirmare,” which means “to make firm” or “strengthen.” In everyday French, affermer is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical past action or event.

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

  1. Si j’avais suivi mes rêves, j’aurais affermi ma décision de devenir artiste. (If I had followed my dreams, I would have confirmed my decision to become an artist.)
  2. Elle aurait affermi son choix si elle avait eu plus de temps pour réfléchir. (She would have affirmed her choice if she had more time to think.)
  3. Nous aurions affermi notre amitié si nous avions été plus honnêtes l’un envers l’autre. (We would have strengthened our friendship if we had been more honest with each other.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais affermi Si j’avais su, je l’aurais affermi. I would have confirmed it.
tu aurais affermi Tu aurais affermi l’accord. You would have confirmed the agreement.
il aurait affermi Il aurait affermi sa position. He would have confirmed his position.
elle aurait affermi Elle aurait affermi son autorité. She would have confirmed her authority.
on aurait affermi On aurait affermi les termes. One would have confirmed the terms.
nous aurions affermi Nous aurions affermi notre engagement. We would have confirmed our commitment.
vous auriez affermi Vous auriez affermi votre décision. You would have confirmed your decision.
ils auraient affermi Ils auraient affermi leur accord. They would have confirmed their agreement.
elles auraient affermi Elles auraient affermi leur alliance. They (female) would have confirmed their alliance.

Other Conjugations for Affermer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affermer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Affermer – 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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