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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb effaner

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The English translation of the French verb effaner is “to fan out” or “to spread out.” It is pronounced as “eh-fah-neh.”

Effaner comes from the Old French word “effaner,” which means “to untangle” or “to separate.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais effané mes cheveux, je les aurais laissés sécher à l’air libre. (If I had fanned out my hair, I would have let it air dry.)

  2. Tu aurais dû effaner les cartes avant de les mélanger. (You should have fanned out the cards before shuffling them.)

  3. Elle aurait effané les draps avant de les étendre au soleil. (She would have spread out the sheets before hanging them in the sun.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais effané Si j’avais su, je t’aurais effané. I would have fainted if I had known.
tu aurais effané Tu aurais effané plus tôt. You would have fainted earlier.
il aurait effané Il aurait effané en voyant le sang. He would have fainted at the sight of blood.
elle aurait effané Elle aurait effané à cause de la chaleur. She would have fainted because of the heat.
on aurait effané On aurait effané à cette nouvelle. One would have fainted at this news.
nous aurions effané Nous aurions effané si nous avions vu ça. We would have fainted if we had seen that.
vous auriez effané Vous auriez effané en montant les escaliers. You would have fainted while climbing the stairs.
ils auraient effané Ils auraient effané à la vue de l’araignée. They would have fainted at the sight of the spider.
elles auraient effané Elles auraient effané à cause du manque de sommeil. They (female) would have fainted because of lack of sleep.

Other Conjugations for Effaner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb effaner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Effaner – 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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