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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affliger

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The English translation of the French verb affliger is “to afflict” or “to distress.” The infinitive form, affliger, is pronounced “ah-flee-zhay.”

Affliger comes from the Latin word “affligere,” meaning “to strike down, distress.” It entered the French language in the 12th century.

In everyday French, affliger is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or unreal past action or situation. It is formed by combining the conditional form of the auxiliary verb avoir (aurais, aurais, aurait, aurions, auriez, auraient) with the past participle of affliger (affligé).

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

  1. Si j’avais su, je t’aurais évité cette douleur. (If I had known, I would have spared you this pain.)
  2. Il aurait été affligé si sa famille n’avait pas assisté à sa remise de diplôme. (He would have been distressed if his family had not attended his graduation ceremony.)
  3. Nous aurions été affligés de ne pas pouvoir visiter le musée. (We would have been upset if we couldn’t visit the museum.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais affligé Si j’avais su, j’aurais affligé mes ennemis. If I had known, I would have afflicted my enemies.
tu aurais affligé Tu aurais affligé ta famille. You would have afflicted your family.
il aurait affligé Il aurait affligé ses voisins. He would have afflicted his neighbors.
elle aurait affligé Elle aurait affligé ses ennemies. She would have afflicted her enemies.
on aurait affligé On aurait affligé toute la ville. One would have afflicted the whole city.
nous aurions affligé Nous aurions affligé nos adversaires. We would have afflicted our adversaries.
vous auriez affligé Vous auriez affligé vos ennemis. You would have afflicted your enemies.
ils auraient affligé Ils auraient affligé les prisonniers. They would have afflicted the prisoners.
elles auraient affligé Elles auraient affligé leurs ennemies. They (female) would have afflicted their enemies.

Other Conjugations for Affliger.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affliger
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Affliger – 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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