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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avancer

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The English translation of the French verb avancer is “to advance” or “to move forward.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ah-vahn-say.”

The word avancer comes from the Latin word “abante,” meaning “before,” and the prefix “a-” which indicates motion or direction. In everyday French, avancer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of avancer in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais étudié plus dur, j’aurais avancé dans ma carrière. (If I had studied harder, I would have advanced in my career.)

  2. Il aurait pu avancer plus vite s’il n’avait pas été retenu par la circulation. (He could have advanced faster if he hadn’t been held up by traffic.)

  3. Nous aurions avancé plus loin dans le projet si nous avions eu plus de temps. (We would have advanced further in the project if we had more time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais avancé Si j’avais plus de temps, j’aurais avancé. If I had more time, I would have moved forward.
tu aurais avancé Tu aurais avancé avec précaution. You would have advanced cautiously.
il aurait avancé Il aurait avancé son projet. He would have advanced his project.
elle aurait avancé Elle aurait avancé vers le succès. She would have moved towards success.
on aurait avancé On aurait avancé ensemble. We would have advanced together.
nous aurions avancé Nous aurions avancé plus vite. We would have moved forward faster.
vous auriez avancé Vous auriez avancé plus loin. You would have advanced further.
ils auraient avancé Ils auraient avancé en silence. They would have moved forward in silence.
elles auraient avancé Elles auraient avancé en groupe. They (female) would have advanced as a group.

Other Conjugations for Avancer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avancer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Avancer – 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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