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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb confier

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The English translation of the French verb confier is “to entrust” or “to confide”. It is pronounced as “kohn-fee-ay” in the infinitive form.

Confier comes from the Latin word “confidere” meaning “to trust”. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express something that could have been entrusted or confided in the past.

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

  1. J’aurais confié mes secrets à ma meilleure amie si je lui avais fait plus confiance.
    (I would have confided my secrets to my best friend if I had trusted her more.)

  2. Il m’aurait confié son entreprise s’il n’avait pas eu peur de l’échec.
    (He would have entrusted me with his company if he hadn’t been afraid of failure.)

  3. Nous aurions confié nos enfants à notre voisine si elle avait été disponible hier soir.
    (We would have entrusted our children to our neighbor if she had been available last night.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais confié J’aurais confié tous mes secrets. I would have entrusted all my secrets.
tu aurais confié Tu aurais confié ta valise à moi. You would have entrusted your suitcase to me.
il aurait confié Il aurait confié son projet à elle. He would have entrusted his project to her.
elle aurait confié Elle aurait confié ses peurs à lui. She would have entrusted her fears to him.
on aurait confié On aurait confié nos doutes à eux. One would have entrusted our doubts to them.
nous aurions confié Nous aurions confié nos espoirs à vous. We would have entrusted our hopes to you.
vous auriez confié Vous auriez confié votre secret à nous. You would have entrusted your secret to us.
ils auraient confié Ils auraient confié leur histoire à elles. They would have entrusted their story to them.
elles auraient confié Elles auraient confié leurs rêves à eux. They (female) would have entrusted their dreams to them.

Other Conjugations for Confier.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb confier
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Confier – 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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