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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb controverser

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The English translation of the French verb controverser is “to debate” or “to argue.”

In French, the infinitive form of controverser is pronounced “kohn-truh-ver-say.”

The verb controverser comes from the Latin word “controversia,” meaning “dispute” or “controversy.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical situation in the past.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su qu’il ne fallait pas controverser avec lui, je ne l’aurais pas fait. (If I had known that I shouldn’t argue with him, I wouldn’t have done it.)

  2. Elle aurait préféré ne pas controverser avec son collègue, mais elle n’avait pas le choix. (She would have preferred not to argue with her colleague, but she didn’t have a choice.)

  3. Nous aurions pu éviter cette dispute si nous n’avions pas controversé sur ce sujet sensible. (We could have avoided this argument if we hadn’t debated about this sensitive topic.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais controversé Si j’avais su, j’aurais controversé la décision. I would have debated the decision.
tu aurais controversé Tu aurais controversé avec lui. You would have argued with him.
il aurait controversé Il aurait controversé l’opinion publique. He would have debated public opinion.
elle aurait controversé Elle aurait controversé ses théories. She would have disputed her theories.
on aurait controversé On aurait controversé l’idée. One would have disputed the idea.
nous aurions controversé Nous aurions controversé en classe. We would have debated in class.
vous auriez controversé Vous auriez controversé cette loi. You would have challenged this law.
ils auraient controversé Ils auraient controversé leur point de vue. They would have argued their point of view.
elles auraient controversé Elles auraient controversé la décision. They (female) would have debated the decision.

Other Conjugations for Controverser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb controverser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Controverser – 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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