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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clairsemer

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The English translation of the French verb clairsemer is “to thin out” or “to sparse.” It is pronounced as “klair-seh-may.”

The verb clairsemer is derived from the French words “clair,” meaning clear or sparse, and “semer,” meaning to sow or scatter. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or possible action that would have occurred in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais clairsemé les graines, j’aurais peut-être eu une meilleure récolte. (If I had thinned out the seeds, I might have had a better harvest.)
  2. Nous aurions dû clairsemer les cheveux pour un look plus naturel. (We should have thinned out the hair for a more natural look.)
  3. Vous auriez pu clairsemer les épinards pour éviter qu’ils ne deviennent trop denses. (You could have thinned out the spinach to prevent it from becoming too dense.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais clairsemé Si j’avais le temps, je t’aurais clairsemé des conseils. If I had the time, I would have sprinkled you with advice.
tu aurais clairsemé Tu aurais clairsemé plus tôt. You would have scattered earlier.
il aurait clairsemé Il aurait clairsemé des fleurs dans le jardin. He would have scattered flowers in the garden.
elle aurait clairsemé Elle aurait clairsemé des idées dans son discours. She would have scattered ideas in her speech.
on aurait clairsemé On aurait clairsemé des graines dans le champ. One would have sprinkled seeds in the field.
nous aurions clairsemé Nous aurions clairsemé de l’amour partout. We would have spread love everywhere.
vous auriez clairsemé Vous auriez clairsemé des paillettes sur vos vêtements. You would have sprinkled glitter on your clothes.
ils auraient clairsemé Ils auraient clairsemé des mensonges pour se protéger. They would have scattered lies to protect themselves.
elles auraient clairsemé Elles auraient clairsemé des sourires partout. They (female) would have spread smiles everywhere.

Other Conjugations for Clairsemer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clairsemer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Clairsemer – 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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