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

Introduction to the verb changer

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The English translation of the French verb changer is “to change.” It is pronounced [ʃɑ̃ʒe] in the infinitive form.

The word “changer” comes from the Latin word “cambiare,” meaning “to exchange” or “to barter.” In everyday French, it is a commonly used verb and can have various meanings depending on the context. In the Conditionnel Passé tense, it is used to express actions or events that could have happened in the past but did not. It is formed by conjugating the verb “avoir” in the conditionnel présent tense and adding the past participle of “changer,” which is “changé.”

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais changé de voiture. (If I had known, I would have changed my car.)

  2. Elle aurait changé d’avis si je lui avais parlé plus tôt. (She would have changed her mind if I had talked to her earlier.)

  3. Nous aurions changé de stratégie si nous avions eu plus de temps. (We would have changed our strategy if we had had more time.)

  4. If I had known, I would have changed my car.

  5. She would have changed her mind if I had talked to her earlier.

  6. We would have changed our strategy if we had had more time.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais changé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais changé. I would have changed you.
tu aurais changé Tu aurais changé d’avis. You would have changed your mind.
il aurait changé Il aurait changé de travail. He would have changed jobs.
elle aurait changé Elle aurait changé de look. She would have changed her appearance.
on aurait changé On aurait changé de plan. One would have changed plans.
nous aurions changé Nous aurions changé d’endroit. We would have changed locations.
vous auriez changé Vous auriez changé de voiture. You would have changed cars.
ils auraient changé Ils auraient changé d’opinion. They would have changed their opinion.
elles auraient changé Elles auraient changé d’habitude. They (female) would have changed their habits.

Other Conjugations for Changer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb changer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Changer – 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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