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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb autotomiser

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The English translation of the French verb autotomiser is “to autotomize.” It is pronounced as “oh-tow-toh-mee-zay” in its infinitive form.

The word autotomiser comes from the Greek prefix “auto” meaning “self” and the Latin word “tomus” meaning “a cutting.” In biology, autotomy refers to the self-amputation of a body part, often used as a defense mechanism in some animals.

In everyday French, autotomiser is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the Conditionnel Présent followed by the past participle of autotomiser. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action that could have happened in the past, if certain conditions were met.

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

  1. Si j’avais été un lézard, j’aurais autotomisé ma queue pour échapper au prédateur. (If I had been a lizard, I would have autotomized my tail to escape the predator.)

  2. Les crabes ont la capacité d’autotomiser leurs pinces en cas de danger. (Crabs have the ability to autotomize their claws in case of danger.)

  3. Si tu avais eu peur, tu aurais peut-être autotomisé tes cheveux pour te défendre. (If you had been scared, you might have autotomized your hair to defend yourself.)

In these examples, the verb autotomiser is used to describe a hypothetical action of self-amputation that could have occurred in the past, depending on certain conditions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais autotomisé Si j’avais su, je me serais autotomisé. If I had known, I would have autotomized myself.
tu aurais autotomisé Tu te serais autotomisé plus tôt. You would have autotomized yourself earlier.
il aurait autotomisé Il se serait autotomisé en cas de danger. He would have autotomized himself in case of danger.
elle aurait autotomisé Elle se serait autotomisé pour survivre. She would have autotomized herself to survive.
on aurait autotomisé On se serait autotomisé pour s’adapter. One would have autotomized oneself to adapt.
nous aurions autotomisé Nous nous serions autotomisés pour échapper aux prédateurs. We would have autotomized ourselves to escape predators.
vous auriez autotomisé Vous vous seriez autotomisés pour vous protéger. You would have autotomized yourselves to protect yourselves.
ils auraient autotomisé Ils se seraient autotomisés pour se régénérer. They would have autotomized themselves to regenerate.
elles auraient autotomisé Elles se seraient autotomisées pour se libérer. They (female) would have autotomized themselves to free themselves.

Other Conjugations for Autotomiser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb autotomiser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Autotomiser – 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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