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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb antidater

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of antidater. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb antidater is “to backdate.” It is pronounced ahn-tee-da-tey in its infinitive form.

The word antidater is a combination of the prefix “anti-” meaning “before” or “against” and the verb “dater” meaning “to date.” It originated from the Latin word “ante,” meaning “before” and “datus,” meaning “given.”

In everyday French, antidater is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical action or situation that could have happened in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the Conditionnel Présent tense followed by the past participle of the verb antidater.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su que la loi allait être adoptée, j’aurais antidaté le contrat. (If I had known that the law was going to be adopted, I would have backdated the contract.)
  2. Elle aurait antidaté la lettre pour éviter les frais de retard. (She would have backdated the letter to avoid the late fees.)
  3. Ils se seraient fait prendre s’ils avaient antidaté les documents. (They would have been caught if they had backdated the documents.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais antidaté Si j’avais su, j’aurais antidaté le chèque. I would have post-dated the check.
tu aurais antidaté Tu aurais antidaté le contrat. You would have backdated the contract.
il aurait antidaté Il aurait antidaté les documents. He would have backdated the documents.
elle aurait antidaté Elle aurait antidaté sa signature. She would have post-dated her signature.
on aurait antidaté On aurait antidaté le formulaire. One would have backdated the form.
nous aurions antidaté Nous aurions antidaté les lettres. We would have post-dated the letters.
vous auriez antidaté Vous auriez antidaté vos factures. You would have backdated your invoices.
ils auraient antidaté Ils auraient antidaté leurs déclarations. They would have backdated their statements.
elles auraient antidaté Elles auraient antidaté leurs contrats. They (female) would have backdated their contracts.

Other Conjugations for Antidater.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb antidater
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the antidater Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Antidater – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb antidater. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply