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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb exagérer

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The English translation of the French verb exagérer is “to exaggerate.” The infinitive form of this verb is pronounced “eg-zah-zheh-ray.”

The word “exagérer” comes from the Latin word “exaggerare,” meaning “to increase.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to talk about actions or events that would have happened if certain conditions had been met in the past.

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

  1. Si tu avais exagéré les chiffres, nous aurions perdu le contrat. (If you had exaggerated the numbers, we would have lost the contract.)
  2. J’aurais vraiment aimé que tu n’aies pas exagéré tes talents de cuisinier. (I really wish you hadn’t exaggerated your cooking skills.)
  3. Elle aurait dû s’excuser pour avoir exagéré la situation. (She should have apologized for exaggerating the situation.)

English translations:

  1. If you had exaggerated the numbers, we would have lost the contract.
  2. I really wish you hadn’t exaggerated your cooking skills.
  3. She should have apologized for exaggerating the situation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais exagéré Si j’avais su, j’aurais exagéré. I would have exaggerated.
tu aurais exagéré Tu aurais exagéré plus tôt. You would have exaggerated earlier.
il aurait exagéré Il aurait exagéré ses réactions. He would have exaggerated his reactions.
elle aurait exagéré Elle aurait exagéré la situation. She would have exaggerated the situation.
on aurait exagéré On aurait exagéré les conséquences. One would have exaggerated the consequences.
nous aurions exagéré Nous aurions exagéré nos réactions. We would have exaggerated our reactions.
vous auriez exagéré Vous auriez exagéré avec eux. You would have exaggerated with them.
ils auraient exagéré Ils auraient exagéré leurs récits. They would have exaggerated their stories.
elles auraient exagéré Elles auraient exagéré leur performance. They (female) would have exaggerated their performance.

Other Conjugations for Exagérer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exagérer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Exagérer – 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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