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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb appâter

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The English translation of the French verb appâter is “to bait” or “to lure.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ah-pah-te.”

The word appâter comes from the Old French word “apater” which means “to put bait.” It is derived from the Latin word “pascere” which means “to feed.”

In everyday French, the verb appâter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical situation or a possibility in the past. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Example 1: Si j’avais appâté le poisson, je l’aurais attrapé.
(If I had baited the fish, I would have caught it.)

Example 2: Il aurait mieux valu que tu n’aies pas appâté les oiseaux.
(It would have been better if you had not baited the birds.)

Example 3: Nous serions allés à la pêche si nous avions appâté les vers.
(We would have gone fishing if we had baited the worms.)

English translations:
Example 1: If I had baited the fish, I would have caught it.
Example 2: It would have been better if you had not baited the birds.
Example 3: We would have gone fishing if we had baited the worms.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais appâté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais appâté. I would have baited you.
tu aurais appâté Tu aurais appâté plus tôt. You would have baited earlier.
il aurait appâté Il aurait appâté les poissons. He would have baited the fish.
elle aurait appâté Elle aurait appâté l’oiseau. She would have baited the bird.
on aurait appâté On aurait appâté les animaux. One would have baited the animals.
nous aurions appâté Nous aurions appâté les crabes. We would have baited the crabs.
vous auriez appâté Vous auriez appâté avec nous. You would have baited with us.
ils auraient appâté Ils auraient appâté les loups. They would have baited the wolves.
elles auraient appâté Elles auraient appâté les insectes. They (female) would have baited the insects.

Other Conjugations for Appâter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appâter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Appâter – 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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