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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb airer

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The English translation of the French verb airer is “to air” or “to ventilate”. It is pronounced as “ay-ray” in its infinitive form.

The origin of the word “airer” can be traced back to the Latin word “aer”, meaning “air”. In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a past hypothetical condition or event.

Here are 3 simple examples of using airer in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais airé la pièce avant que les invités n’arrivent. (If I had known, I would have aired the room before the guests arrived.)

  2. Nous aurions dû airer les vêtements avant de les ranger dans l’armoire. (We should have aired the clothes before putting them away in the closet.)

  3. S’ils avaient fait attention, ils n’auraient pas airé leur linge sous la pluie. (If they had paid attention, they wouldn’t have aired their laundry in the rain.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais airé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais airé. I would have aired you.
tu aurais airé Tu aurais airé plus tôt. You would have aired earlier.
il aurait airé Il aurait airé sa chemise. He would have aired his shirt.
elle aurait airé Elle aurait airé ses cheveux. She would have aired her hair.
on aurait airé On aurait airé la pièce. One would have aired the room.
nous aurions airé Nous aurions airé en plein air. We would have aired outside.
vous auriez airé Vous auriez airé le drap. You would have aired the sheet.
ils auraient airé Ils auraient airé leur linge. They would have aired their laundry.
elles auraient airé Elles auraient airé leurs affaires. They (female) would have aired their belongings.

Other Conjugations for Airer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb airer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Airer – 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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