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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb armer

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The English translation of the French verb armer is “to arm.” It is pronounced as “arma” in its infinitive form.

The verb armer comes from the Latin word “armare,” meaning “to equip or arm.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Three simple examples of armer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais armé les portes et les fenêtres. (If I had known, I would have armed the doors and windows.)
  2. Nous aurions armé nos soldats avant d’entrer en guerre. (We would have armed our soldiers before going to war.)
  3. Ils se seraient armés de courage pour affronter leurs peurs. (They would have armed themselves with courage to face their fears.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known, I would have armed the doors and windows.
  2. We would have armed our soldiers before going to war.
  3. They would have armed themselves with courage to face their fears.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais armé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais armé. I would have armed you.
tu aurais armé Tu aurais armé plus tôt. You would have armed earlier.
il aurait armé Il aurait armé son bateau. He would have armed his boat.
elle aurait armé Elle aurait armé ses soldats. She would have armed her soldiers.
on aurait armé On aurait armé la frontière. One would have armed the border.
nous aurions armé Nous aurions armé nos armes. We would have armed our weapons.
vous auriez armé Vous auriez armé votre pays. You would have armed your country.
ils auraient armé Ils auraient armé leur village. They would have armed their village.
elles auraient armé Elles auraient armé leurs familles. They (female) would have armed their families.

Other Conjugations for Armer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb armer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Armer – 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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