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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb apostiller

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The English translation of the French verb apostiller is “to authenticate” or “to certify.” The infinitive form of apostiller is pronounced “ah-poh-stee-yeh.”

The language origin of apostiller can be traced back to the Latin word “apostillare,” meaning “to add a note” or “to make a marginal note.” In modern French, it is most often used in official contexts to refer to the process of certifying or authenticating a document.

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense of apostiller is used to express a hypothetical past action or event, often in conjunction with another verb. Here are three simple examples of its usage with the English translations:

  1. Si j’avais apostillé ce document à temps, il n’y aurait pas eu de problèmes. (If I had certified this document on time, there wouldn’t have been any problems.)

  2. Je regrette de ne pas avoir apostillé ces papiers avant de partir. (I regret not having authenticated these papers before leaving.)

  3. Les autorités ont exigé que tous les documents soient apostillés avant le voyage. (The authorities demanded that all documents be certified before the trip.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais apostillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais apostillé. I would have apostilled it if I had known.
tu aurais apostillé Tu aurais apostillé plus tôt. You would have apostilled it earlier.
il aurait apostillé Il aurait apostillé le document. He would have apostilled the document.
elle aurait apostillé Elle aurait apostillé son passeport. She would have apostilled her passport.
on aurait apostillé On aurait apostillé le contrat. One would have apostilled the contract.
nous aurions apostillé Nous aurions apostillé ensemble. We would have apostilled together.
vous auriez apostillé Vous auriez apostillé le formulaire. You would have apostilled the form.
ils auraient apostillé Ils auraient apostillé les documents. They would have apostilled the documents.
elles auraient apostillé Elles auraient apostillé leurs diplômes. They (female) would have apostilled their diplomas.

Other Conjugations for Apostiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb apostiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Apostiller – 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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