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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb divorcer

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The English translation of the French verb “divorcer” is “to divorce.” It is pronounced dee-vohrsay in the infinitive form.

The word “divorcer” comes from the Latin word “divortium,” meaning “separation.” It first appeared in the French language in the 14th century.

In everyday French, “divorcer” is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or unreal event in the past.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su qu’il était infidèle, je l’aurais divorcé immédiatement. (If I had known he was unfaithful, I would have divorced him immediately.)
  2. Nous aurions divorcé il y a trois ans si nous n’avions pas décidé de donner une dernière chance à notre mariage. (We would have divorced three years ago if we hadn’t decided to give our marriage one last chance.)
  3. Il m’avait dit qu’il ne voulait plus jamais me quitter, mais finalement il a divorcé après seulement un an de mariage. (He had told me he never wanted to leave me again, but in the end he divorced me after only one year of marriage.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais divorcé Si j’avais su, je me serais divorcé. If I had known, I would have divorced.
tu aurais divorcé Tu aurais divorcé pour moins. You would have divorced for less.
il aurait divorcé Il aurait divorcé pour sa carrière. He would have divorced for his career.
elle aurait divorcé Elle aurait divorcé pour plus. She would have divorced for more.
on aurait divorcé On aurait divorcé depuis longtemps. One would have divorced a long time ago.
nous aurions divorcé Nous aurions divorcé pour nos enfants. We would have divorced for our children.
vous auriez divorcé Vous auriez divorcé pour le bien de votre mariage. You would have divorced for the sake of your marriage.
ils auraient divorcé Ils auraient divorcé à l’amiable. They would have divorced amicably.
elles auraient divorcé Elles auraient divorcé pour des raisons personnelles. They (female) would have divorced for personal reasons.

Other Conjugations for Divorcer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb divorcer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Divorcer – 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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