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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb annuler

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The English translation of the French verb “annuler” is “to cancel.” It is pronounced “ah-noo-lay” in its infinitive form.

The word “annuler” comes from the Latin word “annullare,” meaning “to make null.” It was first introduced into the French language in the 14th century and has since become a commonly used verb.

In everyday French, “annuler” is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the Conditionnel Présent tense and adding the past participle of “annuler,” which is “annulé.”

Here are three simple examples of “annuler” in the Conditionnel Passé tense and their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su plus tôt, j’aurais annulé le rendez-vous. (If I had known earlier, I would have cancelled the appointment.)
  2. Ils auraient annulé leurs vacances s’ils avaient su que l’hôtel était en rénovation. (They would have cancelled their vacation if they had known that the hotel was under renovation.)
  3. Nous aurions annulé la fête en cas de pluie. (We would have cancelled the party in case of rain.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais annulé Si j’avais su, j’aurais annulé. I would have cancelled.
tu aurais annulé Tu aurais annulé ta réservation. You would have cancelled your reservation.
il aurait annulé Il aurait annulé la réunion. He would have cancelled the meeting.
elle aurait annulé Elle aurait annulé son voyage. She would have cancelled her trip.
on aurait annulé On aurait annulé l’événement. One would have cancelled the event.
nous aurions annulé Nous aurions annulé le mariage. We would have cancelled the wedding.
vous auriez annulé Vous auriez annulé votre vol. You would have cancelled your flight.
ils auraient annulé Ils auraient annulé la soirée. They would have cancelled the party.
elles auraient annulé Elles auraient annulé leurs plans. They (female) would have cancelled their plans.

Other Conjugations for Annuler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb annuler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Annuler – 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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