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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb assimiler

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The English translation of the French verb assimiler is “to assimilate.” It is pronounced “ah-see-mee-leh.”

Assimiler comes from the Latin word “assimilare,” meaning “to make similar.” It entered the French language in the 16th century. It is most often used in everyday French to describe the process of absorbing new information or ideas and making them part of one’s own knowledge or understanding.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, assimiler is used to express a hypothetical situation in the past, where one would have assimilated something if certain conditions had been met. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb avoir or être followed by the past participle of assimiler.

Examples:

  1. Si tu avais étudié plus, tu aurais assimilé la leçon. (If you had studied more, you would have assimilated the lesson.)
  2. Nous serions des experts si nous avions assimilé toutes ces informations. (We would be experts if we had assimilated all this information.)
  3. Si j’étais né en France, j’aurais assimilé la culture française depuis mon enfance. (If I had been born in France, I would have assimilated French culture since my childhood.)

In these examples, the Conditionnel Passé tense is used to talk about a hypothetical past situation and the action of assimilation that would have happened in that situation. The English translations also use the conditional perfect tense to express the same idea.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais assimilé Si j’avais eu le temps, je t’aurais assimilé. I would have assimilated you if I had had the time.
tu aurais assimilé Tu aurais assimilé ces informations. You would have assimilated this information.
il aurait assimilé Il aurait assimilé la nouvelle technique. He would have assimilated the new technique.
elle aurait assimilé Elle aurait assimilé les règles du jeu. She would have assimilated the rules of the game.
on aurait assimilé On aurait assimilé le vocabulaire plus vite. One would have assimilated the vocabulary faster.
nous aurions assimilé Nous aurions assimilé les cours ensemble. We would have assimilated the lessons together.
vous auriez assimilé Vous auriez assimilé le programme en un rien de temps. You would have assimilated the program in no time.
ils auraient assimilé Ils auraient assimilé leurs cultures respectives. They would have assimilated their respective cultures.
elles auraient assimilé Elles auraient assimilé la langue étrangère avec facilité. They (female) would have assimilated the foreign language easily.

Other Conjugations for Assimiler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assimiler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Assimiler – 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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