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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb attirer

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The English translation of attirer is “to attract” or “to lure.” It is pronounced as “ah-tee-ray.”

Attirer comes from the Old French word “atirier” which means “to draw or pull” and ultimately derives from the Latin word “attrahere.”

In everyday French, attirer is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is equivalent to the English conditional perfect tense (would have + past participle). This tense is used to express a past action that would have happened under certain conditions.

Here are three simple examples of attirer in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus d’argent, j’aurais attiré des investisseurs pour mon projet. (If I had had more money, I would have attracted investors for my project.)
  2. Elle aurait attiré l’attention de tous en portant cette robe. (She would have attracted everyone’s attention by wearing that dress.)
  3. Nous aurions attiré plus de clients si nous avions offert des réductions. (We would have attracted more customers if we had offered discounts.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais attiré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais attiré. I would have attracted you.
tu aurais attiré Tu aurais attiré plus de clients. You would have attracted more clients.
il aurait attiré Il aurait attiré l’attention. He would have drawn attention.
elle aurait attiré Elle aurait attiré les regards. She would have attracted the looks.
on aurait attiré On aurait attiré des problèmes. One would have attracted problems.
nous aurions attiré Nous aurions attiré des investisseurs. We would have attracted investors.
vous auriez attiré Vous auriez attiré tous les regards. You would have attracted all the looks.
ils auraient attiré Ils auraient attiré l’attention des médias. They would have drawn media attention.
elles auraient attiré Elles auraient attiré des critiques. They (female) would have attracted criticism.

Other Conjugations for Attirer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb attirer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Attirer – 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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