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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb arbitrer

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The English translation of the French verb arbitrer is “to arbitrate” or “to mediate.” It is pronounced “ahr-bee-trer.”

The word arbitrer comes from the Latin word “arbitrari,” meaning “to give judgment.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is formed by combining the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Conditionnel Présent with the past participle of arbitrer. This tense is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations, could be:

  1. Si j’avais suivi ton conseil, nous aurions arbitré le conflit entre les voisins. (If I had followed your advice, we would have mediated the conflict between the neighbors.)
  2. Nous aurions pu arbitrer la situation si nous avions eu plus de temps. (We could have arbitrated the situation if we had more time.)
  3. Si elle n’avait pas été malade, elle aurait pu participer à l’arbitrage du match. (If she hadn’t been sick, she could have participated in the arbitration of the game.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais arbitré Si j’avais eu l’occasion, j’aurais arbitré. If I had the opportunity, I would have arbitrated.
tu aurais arbitré Tu aurais arbitré cette dispute. You would have arbitrated this dispute.
il aurait arbitré Il aurait arbitré le match. He would have refereed the game.
elle aurait arbitré Elle aurait arbitré la compétition. She would have arbitrated the competition.
on aurait arbitré On aurait arbitré cette affaire. One would have arbitrated this matter.
nous aurions arbitré Nous aurions arbitré ensemble. We would have arbitrated together.
vous auriez arbitré Vous auriez arbitré si vous aviez le temps. You would have arbitrated if you had the time.
ils auraient arbitré Ils auraient arbitré de nombreux matchs. They would have refereed many games.
elles auraient arbitré Elles auraient arbitré cette controverse. They (female) would have arbitrated this controversy.

Other Conjugations for Arbitrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb arbitrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Arbitrer – 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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