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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb attraper

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The English translation of the French verb attraper is “to catch.” It is pronounced [a.tʁa.pe]. It is derived from the Latin word “attractare,” meaning “to draw towards.”

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense of attraper is used to express a hypothetical past action or event. It is often used to talk about something that could have happened differently in the past, but didn’t.

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

  1. Si j’avais été plus rapide, j’aurais attrapé le train. (If I had been faster, I would have caught the train.)

  2. Elle aurait attrapé le chat si elle n’avait pas eu peur de lui. (She would have caught the cat if she hadn’t been scared of it.)

  3. Nous aurions attrapé plus de poissons si nous avions pêché plus longtemps. (We would have caught more fish if we had fished longer.)

English translations:

  1. If I had been faster, I would have caught the train.

  2. She would have caught the cat if she hadn’t been scared of it.

  3. We would have caught more fish if we had fished longer.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais attrapé Si j’avais un filet, je t’aurais attrapé. If I had a net, I would have caught you.
tu aurais attrapé Tu aurais attrapé le ballon. You would have caught the ball.
il aurait attrapé Il aurait attrapé le chat. He would have caught the cat.
elle aurait attrapé Elle aurait attrapé le papillon. She would have caught the butterfly.
on aurait attrapé On aurait attrapé le voleur. One would have caught the thief.
nous aurions attrapé Nous aurions attrapé le poisson. We would have caught the fish.
vous auriez attrapé Vous auriez attrapé le train. You would have caught the train.
ils auraient attrapé Ils auraient attrapé le ballon. They would have caught the ball.
elles auraient attrapé Elles auraient attrapé les papillons. They (female) would have caught the butterflies.

Other Conjugations for Attraper.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb attraper
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Attraper – 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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