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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avoyer

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The English translation of the French verb avoyer is “to send” or “to dispatch.” It is pronounced “ah-vwah-yay.”

The word avoyer comes from the Old French word “avouier,” which means “to admit or confess.” It was derived from the Latin word “advocare,” which means “to summon” or “to call to one’s aid.” In modern French, avoyer is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action that would have taken place in the past.

Example 1:
Conditionnel Passé: J’aurais envoyé un cadeau à mon amie si j’avais eu le temps.
English translation: I would have sent a gift to my friend if I had had the time.

Example 2:
Conditionnel Passé: Tu aurais envoyé les invitations à temps si tu t’en étais souvenu.
English translation: You would have sent the invitations on time if you had remembered.

Example 3:
Conditionnel Passé: Il aurait envoyé sa candidature pour le poste s’il avait eu plus d’expérience.
English translation: He would have sent his application for the job if he had had more experience.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais envoyé J’aurais envoyé les invitations. I would have sent the invitations.
tu aurais envoyé Tu aurais envoyé un cadeau. You would have sent a gift.
il aurait envoyé Il aurait envoyé la lettre. He would have sent the letter.
elle aurait envoyé Elle aurait envoyé un courrier électronique. She would have sent an email.
on aurait envoyé On aurait envoyé des fleurs. One would have sent flowers.
nous aurions envoyé Nous aurions envoyé une carte postale. We would have sent a postcard.
vous auriez envoyé Vous auriez envoyé des invitations. You would have sent the invitations.
ils auraient envoyé Ils auraient envoyé des photos. They would have sent photos.
elles auraient envoyé Elles auraient envoyé des lettres. They (female) would have sent letters.

Other Conjugations for Avoyer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoyer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Avoyer – 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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