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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb arguer

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of arguer. 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 arguer is “to argue” or “to plead.” It is pronounced “ar-gew-ay” in its infinitive form.

The word arguer comes from the Old French term “argüer,” which means “to reproach” or “to accuse.” It ultimately comes from the Latin word “arguere,” meaning “to prove” or “to demonstrate.”

In everyday French, arguer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action or situation 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.

Examples of arguer in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais choisi l’autre option, j’aurais argué sa culpabilité. (If I had chosen the other option, I would have argued his guilt.)

  2. Ils auraient argué que c’était une erreur de leur part. (They would have argued that it was a mistake on their part.)

  3. Nous serions partis si elle n’avait pas argué contre le plan. (We would have left if she hadn’t argued against the plan.)

English translations:

  1. If I had chosen the other option, I would have argued his guilt.

  2. They would have argued that it was a mistake on their part.

  3. We would have left if she hadn’t argued against the plan.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais argué Si j’avais plus de temps, je t’aurais argué. If I had more time, I would have argued with you.
tu aurais argué Tu aurais argué avec conviction. You would have argued with conviction.
il aurait argué Il aurait argué contre cette décision. He would have argued against this decision.
elle aurait argué Elle aurait argué pour ses droits. She would have argued for her rights.
on aurait argué On aurait argué toute la nuit. One would have argued all night long.
nous aurions argué Nous aurions argué sur le sujet. We would have argued about the topic.
vous auriez argué Vous auriez argué ensemble. You would have argued together.
ils auraient argué Ils auraient argué avec passion. They would have argued with passion.
elles auraient argué Elles auraient argué sur la politique. They (female) would have argued about politics.

Other Conjugations for Arguer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb arguer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    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 arguer Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Arguer – 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 arguer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply