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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb articuler

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The English translation of the French verb articuler is “to articulate.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ar-tee-koo-lay.”

The word “articuler” comes from the Latin word “articulare,” which means “to divide into joints.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to describe an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of “articuler” used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais suivi des cours de théâtre, j’aurais mieux articulé mes mots. (If I had taken acting classes, I would have articulated my words better.)

  2. Si tu avais mangé plus lentement, tu n’aurais pas articulé de travers. (If you had eaten more slowly, you wouldn’t have mispronounced.)

  3. S’ils avaient fait leurs exercices de diction, ils auraient articulé correctement pendant la pièce de théâtre. (If they had done their diction exercises, they would have articulated properly during the play.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais articulé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais articulé. I would have articulated to you.
tu aurais articulé Tu aurais articulé plus tôt. You would have articulated earlier.
il aurait articulé Il aurait articulé ses pensées. He would have articulated his thoughts.
elle aurait articulé Elle aurait articulé ses idées. She would have articulated her ideas.
on aurait articulé On aurait articulé une solution. One would have articulated a solution.
nous aurions articulé Nous aurions articulé notre projet. We would have articulated our project.
vous auriez articulé Vous auriez articulé avec eux. You would have articulated with them.
ils auraient articulé Ils auraient articulé leur point de vue. They would have articulated their point of view.
elles auraient articulé Elles auraient articulé leur opinion. They (female) would have articulated their opinion.

Other Conjugations for Articuler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb articuler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Articuler – 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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