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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb aiguiser

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of aiguiser. 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 aiguiser is “to sharpen.” It is pronounced “ay-gwee-zay.”

Aiguiser comes from the Old French word “aguïser,” which comes from the Latin word “acuere” meaning “to sharpen.” It is most often used to describe the action of making something sharp or honing a skill or quality.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, aiguiser is used to express a past hypothetical action or possibility. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais aiguisé mes couteaux hier, je n’aurais pas eu de problème en préparant le dîner ce soir. (If I had sharpened my knives yesterday, I would not have had any problems preparing dinner tonight.)

  2. Nous aurions mieux fait de nous aiguiser avant le match, peut-être aurions-nous gagné. (We should have sharpened ourselves before the game, maybe we would have won.)

  3. Si tu avais aiguisé tes compétences en communication, tu aurais pu éviter ce conflit. (If you had honed your communication skills, you could have avoided this conflict.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais aiguisé Si j’avais eu du temps, j’aurais aiguisé mes couteaux. If I had had time, I would have sharpened my knives.
tu aurais aiguisé Tu aurais aiguisé tes compétences en cuisine. You would have honed your cooking skills.
il aurait aiguisé Il aurait aiguisé son couteau de poche. He would have sharpened his pocket knife.
elle aurait aiguisé Elle aurait aiguisé son esprit critique. She would have sharpened her critical thinking.
on aurait aiguisé On aurait aiguisé notre curiosité. We would have sharpened our curiosity.
nous aurions aiguisé Nous aurions aiguisé nos outils. We would have sharpened our tools.
vous auriez aiguisé Vous auriez aiguisé vos compétences en écriture. You would have sharpened your writing skills.
ils auraient aiguisé Ils auraient aiguisé leurs couteaux avant de partir en randonnée. They would have sharpened their knives before going on a hike.
elles auraient aiguisé Elles auraient aiguisé leur appétit. They (female) would have sharpened their appetite.

Other Conjugations for Aiguiser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb aiguiser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    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 aiguiser Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply