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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb driver

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The English translation of the French verb “driver” is “to drive.” It is pronounced as “dree-vay” in its infinitive form.

The word “driver” comes from the Old French word “drivre,” which means “to drive or push forward.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is equivalent to the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express actions that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Three simple examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais mon permis de conduire, j’aurais pu driver la voiture hier soir. (If I had my driver’s license, I could have driven the car last night.)

  2. Nous aurions pu arriver plus tôt si tu m’avais laissé driver. (We could have arrived earlier if you had let me drive.)

  3. Est-ce que tu aurais pu me driver à la gare hier matin ? (Could you have driven me to the train station yesterday morning?)

English translations:

  1. Si j’avais mon permis de conduire, j’aurais pu driver la voiture hier soir. (If I had my driver’s license, I could have driven the car last night.)

  2. Nous aurions pu arriver plus tôt si tu m’avais laissé driver. (We could have arrived earlier if you had let me drive.)

  3. Est-ce que tu aurais pu me driver à la gare hier matin ? (Could you have driven me to the train station yesterday morning?)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais conduit Si j’avais eu une voiture, je l’aurais conduite. If I had a car, I would have driven it.
tu aurais conduit Tu aurais conduit plus prudemment. You would have driven more cautiously.
il aurait conduit Il aurait conduit le camion. He would have driven the truck.
elle aurait conduit Elle aurait conduit à la plage. She would have driven to the beach.
on aurait conduit On aurait conduit en ville. One would have driven in the city.
nous aurions conduit Nous aurions conduit dans les montagnes. We would have driven in the mountains.
vous auriez conduit Vous auriez conduit avec prudence. You would have driven cautiously.
ils auraient conduit Ils auraient conduit le bus. They would have driven the bus.
elles auraient conduit Elles auraient conduit leur voiture. They (female) would have driven their car.

Other Conjugations for Driver.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb driver
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Driver – 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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