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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb effacer

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The English translation of effacer is “to erase” or “to delete.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “eh-fa-say.”

Effacer comes from the Old French word “effacier,” which is derived from the Latin word “exfacere,” meaning “to efface or obliterate.” It is a regular -er verb in French.

In everyday French, effacer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express actions that would have been erased or deleted in the past.

Here are three examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais effacé cette erreur. (If I had known, I would have erased this mistake.)
  2. Il aurait effacé toutes ses données avant de vendre son ordinateur. (He would have deleted all his data before selling his computer.)
  3. On aurait effacé toutes les traces du cambriolage avant l’arrivée de la police. (We would have erased all traces of the burglary before the police arrived.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais effacé Si j’avais su, j’aurais effacé la photo. I would have deleted the photo.
tu aurais effacé Tu aurais effacé le document. You would have erased the document.
il aurait effacé Il aurait effacé le tableau. He would have erased the board.
elle aurait effacé Elle aurait effacé le message. She would have deleted the message.
on aurait effacé On aurait effacé nos traces. One would have erased our tracks.
nous aurions effacé Nous aurions effacé toutes les données. We would have deleted all the data.
vous auriez effacé Vous auriez effacé vos fichiers. You would have deleted your files.
ils auraient effacé Ils auraient effacé toutes les preuves. They would have erased all the evidence.
elles auraient effacé Elles auraient effacé leurs historiques. They (female) would have deleted their histories.

Other Conjugations for Effacer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb effacer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Effacer – 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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