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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb confesser

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The English translation of the French verb confesser is “to confess.” It is pronounced as “kawn-fes-ay” in its infinitive form.

Confesser comes from the Latin word “confiteri” meaning “to acknowledge, confess.” It entered the French language in the 13th century and has been used since then with its current meaning.

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense of confesser is most often used to express a past action that would have happened if certain conditions had been met. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais commis un crime, j’aurais confessé mes fautes à la police.
    Translation: If I had committed a crime, I would have confessed my mistakes to the police.

  2. Il m’aurait confessé son amour s’il avait su que je partais.
    Translation: He would have confessed his love to me if he had known I was leaving.

  3. Nous aurions confessé notre erreur si nous avions su la vérité.
    Translation: We would have confessed our mistake if we had known the truth.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais confessé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais confessé. I would have confessed to you.
tu aurais confessé Tu aurais confessé plus tôt. You would have confessed earlier.
il aurait confessé Il aurait confessé ses péchés. He would have confessed his sins.
elle aurait confessé Elle aurait confessé ses mensonges. She would have confessed her lies.
on aurait confessé On aurait confessé nos secrets. One would have confessed our secrets.
nous aurions confessé Nous aurions confessé nos erreurs. We would have confessed our mistakes.
vous auriez confessé Vous auriez confessé à l’église. You would have confessed at the church.
ils auraient confessé Ils auraient confessé leurs crimes. They would have confessed their crimes.
elles auraient confessé Elles auraient confessé leurs secrets. They (female) would have confessed their secrets.

Other Conjugations for Confesser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb confesser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Confesser – 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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