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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb estiver

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of estiver. 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 estiver is “to be” (in the Conditionnel Passé tense).

The infinitive form of estiver is pronounced “eh-stee-vay.”

Estiver comes from the Latin word “stare” which means “to stand.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have taken place in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of the verb.

Three simple examples of estiver in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their English translations, are:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais estivé avec toi. (If I had known, I would have been with you.)
  2. Elle aurait estivé plus longtemps si elle avait eu plus de temps. (She would have stayed longer if she had had more time.)
  3. Nous serions estivés à Paris si nous avions pris le train tôt. (We would have been in Paris if we had taken the train early.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais été Si j’avais su, je serais été là. I would have been there.
tu aurais été Tu aurais été plus calme. You would have been calmer.
il aurait été Il aurait été content. He would have been happy.
elle aurait été Elle aurait été fière de toi. She would have been proud of you.
on aurait été On aurait été en train de travailler. One would have been working.
nous aurions été Nous aurions été à la plage. We would have been at the beach.
vous auriez été Vous auriez été ensemble. You would have been together.
ils auraient été Ils auraient été à la fête. They would have been at the party.
elles auraient été Elles auraient été en retard. They (female) would have been late.

Other Conjugations for Estiver.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb estiver
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    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 estiver Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Estiver – 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 estiver. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts