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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb argenter

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of argenter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb argenter is “to silver” or “to plate with silver.” It is pronounced “ar-jon-tay.”

The language origin of argenter comes from the Old French word “argent,” meaning silver. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical action in the past.

Three examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus d’argent, j’aurais argenté mon service de table. (If I had had more money, I would have silver-plated my tableware.)

  2. Ils auraient argenté la statue en bronze s’ils en avaient eu les moyens. (They would have silver-plated the bronze statue if they had had the means.)

  3. Vous auriez argenté ce bijou pour le rendre plus précieux. (You would have silver-plated this piece of jewelry to make it more valuable.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais argenté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais argenté. I would have silvered you.
tu aurais argenté Tu aurais argenté plus tôt. You would have silvered earlier.
il aurait argenté Il aurait argenté la montre. He would have silvered the watch.
elle aurait argenté Elle aurait argenté ses bijoux. She would have silvered her jewelry.
on aurait argenté On aurait argenté les assiettes. One would have silvered the plates.
nous aurions argenté Nous aurions argenté le vase. We would have silvered the vase.
vous auriez argenté Vous auriez argenté la table. You would have silvered the table.
ils auraient argenté Ils auraient argenté le miroir. They would have silvered the mirror.
elles auraient argenté Elles auraient argenté leurs coupes. They (female) would have silvered their cups.

Other Conjugations for Argenter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb argenter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the argenter Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Argenter – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb argenter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply