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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb attarder

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of attarder. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb attarder is “to delay” or “to linger.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ah-tar-deh.”

The word attarder is derived from the Old French word “attarder,” which comes from the Latin word “at-,” meaning “to” and “tardus,” meaning “slow.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the equivalent of the conditional perfect tense in English.

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

  1. Si tu m’avais écouté, nous ne nous serions pas attardés au marché. (If you had listened to me, we wouldn’t have lingered at the market.)
  2. J’aurais préféré ne pas m’attarder à cette réunion interminable. (I would have preferred not to delay at this never-ending meeting.)
  3. Nous nous serions beaucoup attardés en chemin si nous n’avions pas pris le raccourci. (We would have delayed a lot on the way if we hadn’t taken the shortcut.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais attardé Si je n’avais pas perdu mes clés, je me serais attardé. If I hadn’t lost my keys, I would have lingered.
tu te serais attardé Tu te serais attardé sur cet article si tu avais plus de temps. You would have dwelled on this article if you had more time.
il se serait attardé Il se serait attardé pour parler avec ses amis. He would have stayed behind to talk with his friends.
elle se serait attardée Si elle n’avait pas raté son train, elle se serait attardée dans la ville. If she hadn’t missed her train, she would have lingered in the city.
on se serait attardé On se serait attardé au parc si le temps avait été meilleur. One would have lingered at the park if the weather had been better.
nous nous serions attardés Nous nous serions attardés à la fête si elle avait duré plus longtemps. We would have stayed longer at the party if it had lasted longer.
vous vous seriez attardés Vous vous seriez attardés à dire au revoir à tout le monde. You would have lingered to say goodbye to everyone.
ils se seraient attardés S’ils avaient pris le temps, ils se seraient attardés sur les détails. If they had taken the time, they would have dwelled on the details.
elles se seraient attardées Elles se seraient attardées pour prendre des photos. They (female) would have lingered to take photos.

Other Conjugations for Attarder.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb attarder
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the attarder Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Attarder – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb attarder. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply