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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb essayer

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of essayer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb essayer is “to try” or “to attempt.” It is pronounced as “eh-say-eh” in its infinitive form.

The word essayer comes from the Old French term “essai,” meaning “trial” or “attempt.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express actions that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Three simple examples of essayer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais essayé ce nouveau restaurant, je l’aurais sûrement aimé. (If I had tried this new restaurant, I would have probably liked it.)

  2. Nous aurions réussi l’examen si nous avions essayé plus dur. (We would have passed the exam if we had tried harder.)

  3. Ils auraient pu gagner le match s’ils avaient essayé une autre stratégie. (They could have won the game if they had tried a different strategy.)

In these examples, the verb essayer is used to express hypothetical or unreal situations in the past. It is often paired with the conditional tense of the auxiliary verb avoir (aurais/aurait/auraient) to form the Conditionnel Passé tense. The verb essayer can also be used in other tenses and moods, such as the présent (present) or the impératif (imperative).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais essayé Si j’avais le temps, je l’aurais essayé. If I had the time, I would have tried it.
tu aurais essayé Tu aurais essayé de faire mieux. You would have tried to do better.
il aurait essayé Il aurait essayé de me convaincre. He would have tried to convince me.
elle aurait essayé Elle aurait essayé de comprendre. She would have tried to understand.
on aurait essayé On aurait essayé de trouver une solution. One would have tried to find a solution.
nous aurions essayé Nous aurions essayé de résoudre le problème. We would have tried to solve the problem.
vous auriez essayé Vous auriez essayé de m’aider. You would have tried to help me.
ils auraient essayé Ils auraient essayé de réparer la voiture. They would have tried to fix the car.
elles auraient essayé Elles auraient essayé de changer d’avis. They (female) would have tried to change their mind.

Other Conjugations for Essayer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb essayer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the essayer Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Essayer – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb essayer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts