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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ajuster

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The English translation of the French verb ajuster is “to adjust.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ah-zhoo-stay.”

The word ajuster comes from the Old French term ajuster, which means “to join, fit, or make right.” It is derived from the Latin word adiūstāre, which has the same meaning.

In everyday French, ajuster is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the equivalent of the English “would have + past participle” construction. This tense is used to talk about actions that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of how ajuster is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais plus de temps, j’aurais ajusté la taille de cette robe. (If I had more time, I would have adjusted the size of this dress.)

  2. Nous aurions ajusté nos projets si nous avions su que le temps serait mauvais. (We would have adjusted our plans if we had known the weather would be bad.)

  3. Tu t’en serais mieux sorti si tu avais ajusté tes attentes. (You would have done better if you had adjusted your expectations.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais ajusté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais ajusté. I would have adjusted you.
tu aurais ajusté Tu aurais ajusté la montre. You would have adjusted the watch.
il aurait ajusté Il aurait ajusté la balance. He would have adjusted the balance.
elle aurait ajusté Elle aurait ajusté son chapeau. She would have adjusted her hat.
on aurait ajusté On aurait ajusté les paramètres. One would have adjusted the settings.
nous aurions ajusté Nous aurions ajusté notre budget. We would have adjusted our budget.
vous auriez ajusté Vous auriez ajusté vos attentes. You would have adjusted your expectations.
ils auraient ajusté Ils auraient ajusté leur stratégie. They would have adjusted their strategy.
elles auraient ajusté Elles auraient ajusté leurs plans. They (female) would have adjusted their plans.

Other Conjugations for Ajuster.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ajuster
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Ajuster – 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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