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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affirmer

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The English translation of the French verb affirmer is “to affirm” or “to assert.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ah-feer-may.”

The word “affirmer” comes from the Latin word “affirmare,” meaning “to make firm” or “to strengthen.” It entered the French language in the 13th century and has been used in various forms since then.

In everyday French, “affirmer” is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action in the past. It is commonly used to express a doubt or a supposition about something that could have happened in the past.

Examples of “affirmer” in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais étudié plus, j’aurais pu affirmer mes connaissances lors de l’examen. (If I had studied more, I could have asserted my knowledge during the exam.)

  2. Il m’avait dit qu’il allait venir, mais finalement il n’est pas venu. Je n’aurais jamais pu l’affirmer. (He had told me he was going to come, but in the end, he didn’t show up. I would have never been able to assert it.)

  3. Si elle avait pris des vacances, elle aurait pu affirmer qu’elle était moins stressée. (If she had taken a vacation, she could have asserted that she was less stressed.)

Translation:

  1. If I had studied more, I could have asserted my knowledge during the exam.

  2. He had told me he was going to come, but in the end, he didn’t show up. I would have never been able to assert it.

  3. If she had taken a vacation, she could have asserted that she was less stressed.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais affirmé Si j’avais été là, j’aurais affirmé. If I had been there, I would have affirmed.
tu aurais affirmé Tu aurais affirmé ta position. You would have affirmed your position.
il aurait affirmé Il aurait affirmé la vérité. He would have affirmed the truth.
elle aurait affirmé Elle aurait affirmé ses intentions. She would have affirmed her intentions.
on aurait affirmé On aurait affirmé que c’était vrai. One would have affirmed it was true.
nous aurions affirmé Nous aurions affirmé notre soutien. We would have affirmed our support.
vous auriez affirmé Vous auriez affirmé votre présence. You would have affirmed your presence.
ils auraient affirmé Ils auraient affirmé leur innocence. They would have affirmed their innocence.
elles auraient affirmé Elles auraient affirmé leurs droits. They (female) would have affirmed their rights.

Other Conjugations for Affirmer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affirmer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Affirmer – 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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