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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb atterrer

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The English translation of the French verb atterrer is “to terrify” or “to frighten.” It is pronounced as “ah-teh-reh.”

The language origin of atterrer can be traced back to the Latin word “terra,” meaning earth or ground. In Old French, it was originally used to describe the act of throwing someone to the ground or to make someone fall down. Over time, its meaning evolved to refer to scaring or terrifying someone.

In everyday French, atterrer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express something that would have terrified or frightened someone in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense with their English translations:

  1. Si tu avais vu le film d’horreur hier soir, tu aurais été atterré. (If you had seen the horror movie last night, you would have been terrified.)

  2. Nous aurions été atterrés si nous avions su ce qui se passait. (We would have been terrified if we had known what was happening.)

  3. Elle aurait été complètement atterrée si elle avait vu l’accident. (She would have been completely terrified if she had seen the accident.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais atterré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais atterré. I would have shocked you.
tu aurais atterré Tu aurais atterré tes parents avec ta note. You would have shocked your parents with your grade.
il aurait atterré Il aurait atterré tout le monde avec sa blague. He would have shocked everyone with his joke.
elle aurait atterré Elle aurait atterré son professeur avec sa réponse. She would have shocked her teacher with her answer.
on aurait atterré On aurait atterré les voisins avec cette fête. One would have shocked the neighbors with this party.
nous aurions atterré Nous aurions atterré nos amis avec notre danse. We would have shocked our friends with our dance.
vous auriez atterré Vous auriez atterré la société avec vos idées. You would have shocked society with your ideas.
ils auraient atterré Ils auraient atterré leurs collègues avec leur proposition. They would have shocked their colleagues with their proposal.
elles auraient atterré Elles auraient atterré tout le monde avec leur performance. They (female) would have shocked everyone with their performance.

Other Conjugations for Atterrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb atterrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Atterrer – 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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