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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb alterner

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The English translation of the French verb alterner is “to alternate.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ahl-tair-nay.”

The word “alterner” comes from the Latin word “alternare,” meaning “to alternate” or “to take turns.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais pu alterner entre le travail et les loisirs. (If I had had more time, I could have alternated between work and leisure.)

  2. Nous aurions aimé alterner entre le français et l’anglais dans notre conversation. (We would have liked to alternate between French and English in our conversation.)

  3. Si tu n’avais pas été malade, tu aurais pu alterner avec moi pour prendre soin du bébé. (If you hadn’t been sick, you could have alternated with me to take care of the baby.)

  4. If I had had more time, I could have alternated between work and leisure.

  5. We would have liked to alternate between French and English in our conversation.

  6. If you hadn’t been sick, you could have alternated with me to take care of the baby.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais alterné Si j’avais su, j’aurais alterné. I would have alternated.
tu aurais alterné Tu aurais alterné les produits. You would have alternated the products.
il aurait alterné Il aurait alterné le travail et les loisirs. He would have alternated work and leisure.
elle aurait alterné Elle aurait alterné les vêtements. She would have alternated clothes.
on aurait alterné On aurait alterné les activités. One would have alternated activities.
nous aurions alterné Nous aurions alterné nos vacances. We would have alternated our vacations.
vous auriez alterné Vous auriez alterné les tâches. You would have alternated tasks.
ils auraient alterné Ils auraient alterné les responsabilités. They would have alternated responsibilities.
elles auraient alterné Elles auraient alterné les rôles. They (female) would have alternated roles.

Other Conjugations for Alterner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb alterner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Alterner – 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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