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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb commander

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The English translation of the French verb commander is “to command” or “to order.” The infinitive form is pronounced “koh-mahn-dey.”

The word commander comes from the Latin word “com,” meaning “with,” and “mandare,” meaning “to entrust.” It was first used in the French language in the 12th century.

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense is used to express actions that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met. It is often used to talk about hypothetical or imagined situations.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais commandé plus tôt, j’aurais pu éviter le désastre. (If I had ordered earlier, I could have avoided the disaster.)
  2. Il aurait pu être un bon chef s’il avait commandé avec plus d’autorité. (He could have been a good leader if he had commanded with more authority.)
  3. Nous aurions commandé plus de nourriture si nous avions su que tu viendrais avec tes amis. (We would have ordered more food if we had known you were coming with your friends.)

English translations:

  1. If I had ordered earlier, I could have avoided the disaster.
  2. He could have been a good leader if he had commanded with more authority.
  3. We would have ordered more food if we had known you were coming with your friends.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais commandé Si j’avais les moyens, je t’aurais commandé un cadeau. I would have ordered you a gift.
tu aurais commandé Tu aurais commandé le repas. You would have ordered the meal.
il aurait commandé Il aurait commandé une nouvelle voiture. He would have ordered a new car.
elle aurait commandé Elle aurait commandé des fleurs. She would have ordered flowers.
on aurait commandé On aurait commandé des pizzas. One would have ordered pizzas.
nous aurions commandé Nous aurions commandé un dessert. We would have ordered dessert.
vous auriez commandé Vous auriez commandé du vin. You would have ordered wine.
ils auraient commandé Ils auraient commandé des billets pour le concert. They would have ordered tickets for the concert.
elles auraient commandé Elles auraient commandé un gâteau. They (female) would have ordered a cake.

Other Conjugations for Commander.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commander
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Commander – 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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