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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déclarer

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The English translation of déclarer is “to declare” or “to state.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-kla-ray.”

Déclarer comes from the Old French verb “declarer,” which is derived from the Latin “declarare,” meaning “to make clear or manifest.” It is a regular -er verb in French and is used in a variety of contexts to express stating, announcing, or affirming something.

In everyday French, déclarer is commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. This tense is used to express hypothetical or future actions in the past.

3 examples of déclarer in Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais eu le temps, j’aurais déclaré mon amour pour elle. (If I had had the time, I would have declared my love for her.)
  2. Ils auraient déclaré leurs revenus avant la date limite. (They would have declared their income before the deadline.)
  3. Nous serions tous très riches si nous avions déclaré ces actions à temps. (We would all be very rich if we had declared those stocks on time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais déclaré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais déclaré mon amour. I would have declared my love to you.
tu aurais déclaré Tu aurais déclaré tes revenus plus tôt. You would have declared your income earlier.
il aurait déclaré Il aurait déclaré ses intentions. He would have declared his intentions.
elle aurait déclaré Elle aurait déclaré sa flamme. She would have declared her love.
on aurait déclaré On aurait déclaré la guerre. One would have declared war.
nous aurions déclaré Nous aurions déclaré nos impôts. We would have declared our taxes.
vous auriez déclaré Vous auriez déclaré la vérité. You would have declared the truth.
ils auraient déclaré Ils auraient déclaré leur culpabilité. They would have declared their guilt.
elles auraient déclaré Elles auraient déclaré leur innocence. They (female) would have declared their innocence.

Other Conjugations for Déclarer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déclarer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Déclarer – 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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