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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb atténuer

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The English translation of the French verb atténuer is “to lessen” or “to reduce.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ah-ten-yuh-ay.”

Atténuer comes from the Latin word “attenuare,” which means “to make thin.” It entered the French language in the 14th century.

In everyday French, atténuer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express actions or events that would have happened in the past if a certain condition had been met.

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

  1. Si j’avais été plus prudent, j’aurais atténué les conséquences de mes actions. (If I had been more careful, I would have lessened the consequences of my actions.)

  2. Elle aurait atténué ses critiques si elle avait su que cela me blessait. (She would have reduced her criticisms if she had known it hurt me.)

  3. Nous aurions atténué notre consommation d’énergie si nous avions eu des panneaux solaires. (We would have reduced our energy consumption if we had solar panels.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais atténué J’aurais atténué les conséquences. I would have lessened the consequences.
tu aurais atténué Tu aurais atténué la douleur. You would have reduced the pain.
il aurait atténué Il aurait atténué la gravité du problème. He would have mitigated the seriousness of the problem.
elle aurait atténué Elle aurait atténué ses excuses. She would have lessened her apologies.
on aurait atténué On aurait atténué la pollution. One would have attenuated the pollution.
nous aurions atténué Nous aurions atténué les risques. We would have reduced the risks.
vous auriez atténué Vous auriez atténué les tensions. You would have eased the tensions.
ils auraient atténué Ils auraient atténué les effets. They would have diminished the effects.
elles auraient atténué Elles auraient atténué le conflit. They (female) would have attenuated the conflict.

Other Conjugations for Atténuer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb atténuer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Atténuer – 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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