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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cendrer

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The English translation of the French verb cendrer is “to ash/to turn to ash.” The infinitive form is pronounced “sahn-dreh.”

The word cendrer comes from the French noun cendre, meaning “ash.” It can also be traced back to the Latin word “cinis,” meaning “ashes.” In everyday French, cendrer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses an action that would have happened in the past, but did not occur.

Some examples of cendrer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. J’aurais cendré le feu si j’avais trouvé du bois sec.
    (I would have ashed the fire if I had found dry wood.)
  2. Tu aurais cendré ses vêtements si tu avais mis tes chaussures dehors.
    (You would have ashed his clothes if you had left your shoes outside.)
  3. Elle aurait cendré le barbecue si elle n’avait pas oublié d’acheter du charbon.
    (She would have ashed the barbecue if she hadn’t forgotten to buy charcoal.)

In these examples, cendrer is used to describe the action of turning something into ash, in the past conditional tense. The English translations use the auxiliary verb “would have” to convey the same meaning.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cendré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais cendré. I would have dusted you.
tu aurais cendré Tu aurais cendré plus tôt. You would have dusted earlier.
il aurait cendré Il aurait cendré du bois. He would have ashed the wood.
elle aurait cendré Elle aurait cendré ses vêtements. She would have ashed her clothes.
on aurait cendré On aurait cendré la cheminée. One would have ashed the chimney.
nous aurions cendré Nous aurions cendré en picnic. We would have picnicked.
vous auriez cendré Vous auriez cendré avec eux. You would have ashed with them.
ils auraient cendré Ils auraient cendré le jardin. They would have ashed the garden.
elles auraient cendré Elles auraient cendré au barbecue. They (female) would have ashed at the barbecue.

Other Conjugations for Cendrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cendrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Cendrer – 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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