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

Introduction to the verb elaguer

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The English translation of the French verb elaguer is “to prune” or “to trim.” It is pronounced as [e.la.ɡe] in the infinitive form.

The word elaguer comes from the Latin word “ex” meaning “out” and “lātus” meaning “wide, broad.” It entered the French language in the 12th or 13th century and originally referred to the act of clearing a forest.

In everyday French, elaguer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express a possibility or hypothetical action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met.

Here are 3 simple examples of elaguer in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais élagué cet arbre. (If I had known, I would have pruned this tree.)
  2. Ils auraient élagué les branches avant qu’elles ne touchent les fils électriques. (They would have trimmed the branches before they touched the power lines.)
  3. Nous aurions dû élaguer ces arbustes il y a plusieurs mois. (We should have pruned these shrubs months ago.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais élagué Si j’avais eu plus de temps, je t’aurais élagué. I would have pruned you if I had more time.
tu aurais élagué Tu aurais élagué cette branche. You would have pruned this branch.
il aurait élagué Il aurait élagué l’arbre. He would have pruned the tree.
elle aurait élagué Elle aurait élagué les fleurs. She would have pruned the flowers.
on aurait élagué On aurait élagué ensemble. One would have pruned together.
nous aurions élagué Nous aurions élagué le jardin. We would have pruned the garden.
vous auriez élagué Vous auriez élagué le buisson. You would have pruned the bush.
ils auraient élagué Ils auraient élagué la forêt. They would have pruned the forest.
elles auraient élagué Elles auraient élagué les plantes. They (female) would have pruned the plants.

Other Conjugations for Elaguer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb elaguer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Elaguer – 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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