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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb assurer

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The English translation of the French verb assurer is “to assure” or “to ensure.” It is pronounced “ah-sir-ray” in its infinitive form.

The language origin of assurer comes from the Old French word “asserer,” meaning “to affirm” or “to secure.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or future action that would have taken place in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense with English translations are:

  1. Si tu m’avais écouté, j’aurais pu t’assurer que tout se passerait bien. (If you had listened to me, I could have assured you that everything would go well.)

  2. Nous aurions dû assurer nos billets d’avion pour éviter les problèmes. (We should have ensured our plane tickets to avoid any issues.)

  3. Si vous aviez pris les précautions nécessaires, vous n’auriez pas eu à vous inquiéter. (If you had taken the necessary precautions, you would not have had to worry.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais assuré Si j’avais plus de temps, je t’aurais assuré. I would have assured you if I had more time.
tu aurais assuré Tu aurais assuré ta présence. You would have assured your presence.
il aurait assuré Il aurait assuré le succès de l’entreprise. He would have ensured the success of the company.
elle aurait assuré Elle aurait assuré sa sécurité. She would have assured her safety.
on aurait assuré On aurait assuré la livraison. One would have assured the delivery.
nous aurions assuré Nous aurions assuré les paiements. We would have assured the payments.
vous auriez assuré Vous auriez assuré la qualité. You would have assured the quality.
ils auraient assuré Ils auraient assuré le service. They would have ensured the service.
elles auraient assuré Elles auraient assuré leur avenir. They (female) would have ensured their future.

Other Conjugations for Assurer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assurer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Assurer – 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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