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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ester

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The English translation of the French verb ester is “to be” and it is pronounced as “es-tey”.

The word ester comes from the Old French word “ester” which means “to be”. It is derived from the Latin word “stare” meaning “to stand”. In everyday French, ester is commonly used as the auxiliary verb for forming the compound tenses such as the Conditionnel Passé.

  1. J’aurais été heureux si j’avais reçu une invitation. (I would have been happy if I had received an invitation.)
  2. Elle aurait été surprise si elle avait vu son cadeau. (She would have been surprised if she had seen her gift.)
  3. Nous aurions été en retard si le train avait été annulé. (We would have been late if the train had been cancelled.)

In these examples, ester is used to form the conditional perfect tense, which expresses actions that would have or could have happened in the past if certain conditions were met. It is often used to talk about hypothetical situations or regrets.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais esté Si j’avais su, je me serais esté. I would have been.
tu aurais esté Tu aurais esté plus courageux. You would have been braver.
il aurait esté Il aurait esté plus confiant. He would have been more confident.
elle aurait esté Elle aurait esté contente. She would have been happy.
on aurait esté On aurait esté surpris. One would have been surprised.
nous aurions esté Nous aurions esté ensemble. We would have been together.
vous auriez esté Vous auriez esté en retard. You would have been late.
ils auraient esté Ils auraient esté amis. They would have been friends.
elles auraient esté Elles auraient esté occupées. They (female) would have been busy.

Other Conjugations for Ester.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ester
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Ester – 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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