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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb atrophier

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The English translation of the French verb atrophier is “to atrophy.” The infinitive form of atrophier is pronounced as “a-trof-ee-yay.”

Atrophier comes from the Greek word “atrophos,” meaning “without nourishment.” It entered the French language in the 16th century and is derived from the Latin word “atrophia.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical action that would have taken place in the past.

Here are three examples of atrophier used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais continué à fumer, mes poumons se seraient atrophiés. (If I had continued smoking, my lungs would have atrophied.)
  2. Nous aurions dû faire plus d’exercice, sinon nos muscles se seraient atrophiés. (We should have exercised more, otherwise our muscles would have atrophied.)
  3. Si elle n’avait pas pris de vitamines, ses os se seraient atrophiés. (If she had not taken vitamins, her bones would have atrophied.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais atrophié Si j’avais continué, je l’aurais atrophié. If I had continued, I would have atrophied it.
tu aurais atrophié Tu aurais atrophié ta musculature. You would have atrophied your muscles.
il aurait atrophié Il aurait atrophié sa mémoire. He would have atrophied his memory.
elle aurait atrophié Elle aurait atrophié son talent. She would have atrophied her talent.
on aurait atrophié On aurait atrophié notre potentiel. One would have atrophied our potential.
nous aurions atrophié Nous aurions atrophié notre créativité. We would have atrophied our creativity.
vous auriez atrophié Vous auriez atrophié votre patience. You would have atrophied your patience.
ils auraient atrophié Ils auraient atrophié leur force. They would have atrophied their strength.
elles auraient atrophié Elles auraient atrophié leur courage. They (female) would have atrophied their courage.

Other Conjugations for Atrophier.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb atrophier
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Atrophier – 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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