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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb appointer

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The English translation of the French verb appointer is “to appoint” or “to assign.” It is pronounced “ah-pwan-teh.”

The word appointer comes from the Old French word “apointier,” which means “to put in order.” It is derived from the Latin word “ad-” meaning “to” and “punctum” meaning “point.”

In everyday French, the verb appointer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have taken place in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais été nommé directeur, j’aurais appointé une équipe compétente.
    (If I had been appointed director, I would have assigned a competent team.)

  2. Il aurait appointé des experts pour résoudre le problème.
    (He would have appointed experts to solve the problem.)

  3. Nous aurions appointé des bénévoles pour aider à la manifestation.
    (We would have assigned volunteers to help with the demonstration.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais appointé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais appointé. I would have appointed you.
tu aurais appointé Tu aurais appointé plus tôt. You would have appointed earlier.
il aurait appointé Il aurait appointé le nouvel employé. He would have appointed the new employee.
elle aurait appointé Elle aurait appointé son avocat. She would have appointed her lawyer.
on aurait appointé On aurait appointé un nouveau directeur. One would have appointed a new director.
nous aurions appointé Nous aurions appointé des juges impartiaux. We would have appointed impartial judges.
vous auriez appointé Vous auriez appointé avec prudence. You would have appointed with caution.
ils auraient appointé Ils auraient appointé leurs conseillers. They would have appointed their advisors.
elles auraient appointé Elles auraient appointé une nouvelle équipe. They (female) would have appointed a new team.

Other Conjugations for Appointer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appointer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Appointer – 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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