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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avaler

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The English translation of the French verb avaler is “to swallow.” It is pronounced as “ah-vah-lay.”

The language origin of avaler can be traced back to the Latin word “avalare,” meaning “to swallow down.” It is most often used in everyday French to talk about physically swallowing something, but can also be used figuratively to mean “to believe something without questioning.”

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, avaler is used to talk about an action that would have been completed in the past if certain conditions had been met. For example:

  • Si j’avais su, j’aurais avalé mes mots. (If I had known, I would have swallowed my words.)
  • Nous aurions avalé cette pilule amère si nous avions su à l’avance. (We would have swallowed this bitter pill if we had known beforehand.)
  • Elle aurait avalé n’importe quoi pour être avec lui. (She would have swallowed anything to be with him.)

These examples show the use of avaler in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express regret or hypothetical situations in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais avalé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais avalé. I would have swallowed you.
tu aurais avalé Tu aurais avalé un bonbon. You would have swallowed a candy.
il aurait avalé Il aurait avalé son médicament. He would have swallowed his medication.
elle aurait avalé Elle aurait avalé sa fierté. She would have swallowed her pride.
on aurait avalé On aurait avalé notre repas en silence. One would have silently swallowed our meal.
nous aurions avalé Nous aurions avalé nos sentiments. We would have swallowed our feelings.
vous auriez avalé Vous auriez avalé votre orgueil. You would have swallowed your pride.
ils auraient avalé Ils auraient avalé leurs peurs. They would have swallowed their fears.
elles auraient avalé Elles auraient avalé leurs mensonges. They (female) would have swallowed their lies.

Other Conjugations for Avaler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avaler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Avaler – 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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