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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb agenouiller

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The English translation of the French verb agenouiller is “to kneel.” It is pronounced as “a-ge-nwee-yay” in the infinitive form.

Agenouiller comes from the Latin words “ad” meaning “to” and “genus” meaning “knee.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé (past conditional) tense to express an action that would have happened in the past if a certain condition had been met.

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

  1. Si j’avais su que c’était son anniversaire, je l’aurais agenouillé devant elle. (If I had known it was her birthday, I would have knelt before her.)
  2. S’il avait gagné le match, il se serait agenouillé pour remercier Dieu. (If he had won the game, he would have knelt to thank God.)
  3. Si tu avais été plus attentionné, je ne me serais pas agenouillée pour te demander pardon. (If you had been more thoughtful, I wouldn’t have knelt to ask for your forgiveness.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais agenouillé(e) Si j’avais su, je me serais agenouillé(e). If I had known, I would have knelt down.
tu te serais agenouillé(e) Tu te serais agenouillé(e) devant l’autel. You would have knelt down in front of the altar.
il se serait agenouillé(e) Il se serait agenouillé(e) devant sa reine. He would have knelt down before his queen.
elle se serait agenouillée Elle se serait agenouillée devant son père. She would have knelt down before her father.
on se serait agenouillé(e) On se serait agenouillé(e) pour prier. One would have knelt down to pray.
nous nous serions agenouillé(e)s Nous nous serions agenouillé(e)s avec les autres. We would have knelt down with the others.
vous vous seriez agenouillé(e)(s) Vous seriez agenouillé(e)(s) devant la Sainte Vierge. You would have knelt down before the Virgin Mary.
ils se seraient agenouillés Ils se seraient agenouillés pour reconnaître leur erreur. They would have knelt down to admit their mistake.
elles se seraient agenouillées Elles se seraient agenouillées pour demander pardon. They (female) would have knelt down to ask for forgiveness.

Other Conjugations for Agenouiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb agenouiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Agenouiller – 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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