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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb centrifuger

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The English translation of the French verb centrifuger is “to centrifuge.” It is pronounced /sɑ̃.tri.fy.ʒe/.

The word “centrifuger” comes from the Latin word “centrum,” meaning center, and the French verb “fuger,” meaning to flee. It was first used in the 19th century to describe the process of separating substances by spinning them at high speeds.

In everyday French, the verb centrifuger is most commonly used in its infinitive form to refer to the scientific process of centrifugation. However, it can also be used in other tenses, such as the Conditionnel Passé (conditional perfect), to talk about a hypothetical or possible action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of using centrifuger in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. J’aurais centrifugé le mélange pour séparer les différents composants. (I would have centrifuged the mixture to separate the different components.)
  2. Tu aurais centrifugé le sang pour en extraire les cellules sanguines. (You would have centrifuged the blood to extract the blood cells.)
  3. Ils auraient centrifugé les échantillons pour enlever les impuretés. (They would have centrifuged the samples to remove impurities.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais centrifugé Si j’avais le temps, je l’aurais centrifugé. If I had the time, I would have centrifuged it.
tu aurais centrifugé Tu aurais centrifugé l’échantillon. You would have centrifuged the sample.
il aurait centrifugé Il aurait centrifugé le sang. He would have centrifuged the blood.
elle aurait centrifugé Elle aurait centrifugé la solution. She would have centrifuged the solution.
on aurait centrifugé On aurait centrifugé les cellules. One would have centrifuged the cells.
nous aurions centrifugé Nous aurions centrifugé le mélange. We would have centrifuged the mixture.
vous auriez centrifugé Vous auriez centrifugé les bactéries. You would have centrifuged the bacteria.
ils auraient centrifugé Ils auraient centrifugé l’échantillon. They would have centrifuged the sample.
elles auraient centrifugé Elles auraient centrifugé le liquide. They (female) would have centrifuged the liquid.

Other Conjugations for Centrifuger.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb centrifuger
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Centrifuger – 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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