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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb effrayer

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The English translation of the French verb effrayer is “to frighten” or “to scare.” The infinitive form, effrayer, is pronounced as “eh-fray-ay.”

Effrayer originates from the Old French word “esfreer” meaning “to dread” or “to fear.” It ultimately comes from the Latin word “exfricare” which means “to make afraid.”

In everyday French, effrayer is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a possible or hypothetical action that would have frightened someone in the past.

Here are three simple examples of effrayer in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si tu avais vu ce film d’horreur, tu aurais été effrayé. (If you had seen this horror movie, you would have been scared.)

  2. J’aurais été effrayée si j’avais entendu des bruits étranges la nuit dernière. (I would have been frightened if I had heard strange noises last night.)

  3. Ils nous auraient effrayés avec leur histoire de fantômes. (They would have scared us with their ghost story.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais effrayé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais effrayé. I would have scared you.
tu aurais effrayé Tu aurais effrayé ton frère. You would have scared your brother.
il aurait effrayé Il aurait effrayé tout le monde. He would have scared everyone.
elle aurait effrayé Elle aurait effrayé les enfants. She would have scared the children.
on aurait effrayé On aurait effrayé le voisin. One would have scared the neighbor.
nous aurions effrayé Nous aurions effrayé les animaux. We would have scared the animals.
vous auriez effrayé Vous auriez effrayé vos amis. You would have scared your friends.
ils auraient effrayé Ils auraient effrayé leurs ennemis. They would have scared their enemies.
elles auraient effrayé Elles auraient effrayé leurs camarades. They (female) would have scared their classmates.

Other Conjugations for Effrayer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb effrayer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Effrayer – 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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