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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb effondrer

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The English translation of effondrer is “to collapse” or “to crumble”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “eh-fawn-dreh”.

Effondrer comes from the Old French word “efonder”, meaning “to fall down” or “to collapse”. It is derived from the Latin word “fundere”, meaning “to overthrow” or “to pour out”.

In everyday French, effondrer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or unrealized past action or event. This tense is formed by using the conditional form of the verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of effondrer.

Three examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais effondré le mur. (If I had had more time, I would have collapsed the wall.)
  2. Elle aurait effondré en larmes si elle avait entendu la nouvelle. (She would have collapsed in tears if she had heard the news.)
  3. Nous serions effondrés si nous avions perdu le match. (We would have collapsed if we had lost the game.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais effondré Si j’avais su, je me serais effondré. If I had known, I would have collapsed.
tu te serais effondré Tu te serais effondré à sa place. You would have collapsed in his place.
il se serait effondré Il se serait effondré de fatigue. He would have collapsed from exhaustion.
elle se serait effondrée Elle se serait effondrée en larmes. She would have collapsed in tears.
on se serait effondré On se serait effondré si on avait été là. One would have collapsed if we had been there.
nous nous serions effondrés Nous nous serions effondrés devant tant de peine. We would have collapsed in front of so much pain.
vous vous seriez effondré Vous seriez effondré si vous aviez vu ça. You would have collapsed if you had seen it.
ils se seraient effondrés Ils se seraient effondrés sous le poids de la tristesse. They would have collapsed under the weight of sadness.
elles se seraient effondrées Elles se seraient effondrées si elles avaient entendu la nouvelle. They (female) would have collapsed if they had heard the news.

Other Conjugations for Effondrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb effondrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Effondrer – 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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