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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb conditionner

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The English translation of the French verb conditionner is “to condition.” It is pronounced as “kohn-dee-see-oh-nay.”

The origin of the word conditionner can be traced back to the Latin word “condicio” which means “agreement” or “condition.” In French, it is often used in everyday language to refer to the state or quality of something, or to describe a situation or circumstance.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, conditionner is used to express a hypothetical action or event that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of the verb conditionner.

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

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais conditionné ma participation. (If I had known, I would have conditioned my participation.)
  2. Il aurait conditionné son offre en fonction de nos demandes. (He would have conditioned his offer based on our demands.)
  3. Nous aurions conditionné notre accord à certaines garanties. (We would have conditioned our agreement on certain guarantees.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais conditionné J’aurais conditionné la nourriture. I would have conditioned the food.
tu aurais conditionné Tu aurais conditionné le produit. You would have conditioned the product.
il aurait conditionné Il aurait conditionné la voiture. He would have conditioned the car.
elle aurait conditionné Elle aurait conditionné son enfant. She would have conditioned her child.
on aurait conditionné On aurait conditionné les matériaux. One would have conditioned the materials.
nous aurions conditionné Nous aurions conditionné le terrain. We would have conditioned the field.
vous auriez conditionné Vous auriez conditionné les bagages. You would have conditioned the luggage.
ils auraient conditionné Ils auraient conditionné la viande. They would have conditioned the meat.
elles auraient conditionné Elles auraient conditionné les médicaments. They (female) would have conditioned medicine.

Other Conjugations for Conditionner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conditionner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Conditionner – 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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