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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb archiver

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The English translation of the French verb archiver is “to archive.” It is pronounced as “ahr-sheev-ay.”

The word “archiver” originated from the Latin word “archivum,” meaning “public records.” In everyday French, the verb archiver is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or unreal action that would have taken place in the past.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais eu le temps, j’aurais archivé tous les dossiers avant de partir en vacances. (If I had had time, I would have archived all the files before going on vacation.)

  2. Nous aurions dû archiver ces documents avant qu’ils ne soient perdus. (We should have archived these documents before they got lost.)

  3. Ça aurait été plus facile si tu avais archivé ces papiers correctement dès le début. (It would have been easier if you had archived these papers correctly from the beginning.)

English translations:

  1. If I had had time, I would have archived all the files before going on vacation.

  2. We should have archived these documents before they got lost.

  3. It would have been easier if you had archived these papers correctly from the beginning.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais archivé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais archivé. I would have archived it.
tu aurais archivé Tu aurais archivé plus tôt. You would have archived earlier.
il aurait archivé Il aurait archivé les documents. He would have archived the documents.
elle aurait archivé Elle aurait archivé ses photos. She would have archived her photos.
on aurait archivé On aurait archivé ces fichiers. One would have archived these files.
nous aurions archivé Nous aurions archivé nos dossiers. We would have archived our folders.
vous auriez archivé Vous auriez archivé avec eux. You would have archived with them.
ils auraient archivé Ils auraient archivé leurs emails. They would have archived their emails.
elles auraient archivé Elles auraient archivé leurs documents. They (female) would have archived their documents.

Other Conjugations for Archiver.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb archiver
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Archiver – 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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