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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb animer

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The English translation of the French verb animer is “to animate” or “to liven up.” The infinitive form, animer, is pronounced “ah-nee-may.”

Animer comes from the Latin word animare, which means “to give life to.” In everyday French, animer is most often used to describe someone or something that brings energy or excitement to a situation. It can also refer to the act of creating or producing animation, as in animated films or cartoons.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, animer is used to talk about a hypothetical or imaginary action that would have happened in the past. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb avoir or être, followed by the past participle of animer.

Here are three simple examples of animer in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si nous avions animé la soirée, elle aurait été beaucoup plus amusante. (If we had livened up the party, it would have been much more fun.)

  2. J’aurais aimé que vous ayez animé la discussion. (I wish you had animated the discussion.)

  3. Ils seraient venus si vous aviez animé l’événement. (They would have come if you had animated the event.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais animé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais animé. I would have animated you.
tu aurais animé Tu aurais animé avec talent. You would have animated with talent.
il aurait animé Il aurait animé la fête. He would have animated the party.
elle aurait animé Elle aurait animé la réunion. She would have animated the meeting.
on aurait animé On aurait animé la soirée. One would have animated the evening.
nous aurions animé Nous aurions animé le spectacle. We would have animated the show.
vous auriez animé Vous auriez animé les enfants. You would have animated the children.
ils auraient animé Ils auraient animé la compétition. They would have animated the competition.
elles auraient animé Elles auraient animé la conférence. They (female) would have animated the conference.

Other Conjugations for Animer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb animer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Animer – 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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