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

Introduction to the verb exiger

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The English translation of the French verb exiger is “to demand” or “to require.” It is pronounced as “eg-zee-zhay” in its infinitive form.

The word exiger comes from the Latin word “exigere,” meaning “to demand” or “to exact.” It entered the French language in the 16th century.

In every day French, exiger is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a demand or requirement that was not fulfilled in the past.

Examples:

  1. J’aurais exigé des excuses si j’avais su qu’il avait menti. (I would have demanded an apology if I had known he had lied.)
  2. Elle aurait exigé une augmentation de salaire si elle avait su que ses collègues gagnaient plus qu’elle. (She would have demanded a raise if she had known her colleagues were making more than her.)
  3. Nous aurions exigé un remboursement si nous avions su que le produit était défectueux. (We would have demanded a refund if we had known the product was defective.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais exigé Si j’avais su, j’aurais exigé plus. If I had known, I would have demanded more.
tu aurais exigé Tu aurais exigé une réponse. You would have demanded an answer.
il aurait exigé Il aurait exigé un remboursement. He would have demanded a refund.
elle aurait exigé Elle aurait exigé une explication. She would have demanded an explanation.
on aurait exigé On aurait exigé des changements. One would have demanded changes.
nous aurions exigé Nous aurions exigé des excuses. We would have demanded apologies.
vous auriez exigé Vous auriez exigé des garanties. You would have demanded guarantees.
ils auraient exigé Ils auraient exigé une réparation. They would have demanded a reparation.
elles auraient exigé Elles auraient exigé des preuves. They (female) would have demanded evidence.

Other Conjugations for Exiger.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exiger
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Exiger – 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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