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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb commercer

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The English translation of the French verb commercer is “to trade” or “to engage in commerce.” It is pronounced “koh-mer-sey” in its infinitive form.

Commercer comes from the French word “commerce,” which comes from the Latin word “commercium,” meaning “trade” or “exchange.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus d’argent, j’aurais commercé avec d’autres pays. (If I had had more money, I would have traded with other countries.)

  2. Tu aurais commercé avec les marchands du marché si tu avais su parler leur langue. (You would have traded with the merchants at the market if you knew how to speak their language.)

  3. Ils auraient commercé ensemble s’ils n’étaient pas en compétition pour le même produit. (They would have traded together if they were not in competition for the same product.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais commercé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais commercé. I would have traded with you.
tu aurais commercé Tu aurais commercé plus tôt. You would have traded earlier.
il aurait commercé Il aurait commercé du vin. He would have traded wine.
elle aurait commercé Elle aurait commercé avec ses clients. She would have traded with her clients.
on aurait commercé On aurait commercé avec les États-Unis. One would have traded with the United States.
nous aurions commercé Nous aurions commercé en ligne. We would have traded online.
vous auriez commercé Vous auriez commercé avec eux. You would have traded with them.
ils auraient commercé Ils auraient commercé des produits électroniques. They would have traded electronic products.
elles auraient commercé Elles auraient commercé avec leurs fournisseurs. They (female) would have traded with their suppliers.

Other Conjugations for Commercer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commercer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Commercer – 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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