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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb arquer

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The English translation of the French verb arquer is “to arch” or “to curve.” The infinitive form, arquer, is pronounced “ahr-keh.”

Arquer comes from the Old French word “arque,” meaning “bow,” and ultimately derives from the Latin word “arcus,” meaning “arc” or “bow.”

In everyday French, the conditional perfect tense, also known as the Conditionnel Passé, is used to express a hypothetical action or situation in the past. It is formed by using the conditional of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of arquer in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais arqué mon dos pour éviter cette douleur.
    Translation: If I had known, I would have arched my back to avoid this pain.

  2. Le chat se serait arqué en se défendant contre le chien.
    Translation: The cat would have arched itself while defending against the dog.

  3. Nous aurions arqué nos sourcils si nous avions entendu cette nouvelle.
    Translation: We would have arched our eyebrows if we had heard this news.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais arqué Si j’avais plus d’argent, je t’aurais arqué. If I had more money, I would have curved you.
tu aurais arqué Tu aurais arqué tes sourcils. You would have arched your eyebrows.
il aurait arqué Il aurait arqué le ballon. He would have curved the ball.
elle aurait arqué Elle aurait arqué son dos. She would have arched her back.
on aurait arqué On aurait arqué les règles. One would have curved the rules.
nous aurions arqué Nous aurions arqué nos dos. We would have arched our backs.
vous auriez arqué Vous auriez arqué vos sourcils. You would have arched your eyebrows.
ils auraient arqué Ils auraient arqué leur chemin. They would have curved their path.
elles auraient arqué Elles auraient arqué leurs dos. They (female) would have arched their backs.

Other Conjugations for Arquer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb arquer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Arquer – 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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