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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb expédier

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The English translation of the French verb expédier is “to send” or “to dispatch.” It is pronounced as “ehk-speh-dyay” in its infinitive form.

The word expédier is derived from the Latin word “expedire,” meaning “to free” or “to make ready.” In everyday French, it is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense.

Examples of expédier in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais expédié le colis hier. (If I had had more time, I would have sent the package yesterday.)
  2. Tu aurais dû me demander de t’aider à expédier les invitations. (You should have asked me to help you send the invitations.)
  3. Si elle avait expédié les documents à temps, elle n’aurait pas perdu le contrat. (If she had sent the documents on time, she wouldn’t have lost the contract.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais expédié Si j’avais su, je l’aurais expédié. I would have shipped it if I had known.
tu aurais expédié Tu aurais expédié le colis. You would have shipped the package.
il aurait expédié Il aurait expédié la commande. He would have shipped the order.
elle aurait expédié Elle aurait expédié les documents. She would have shipped the documents.
on aurait expédié On aurait expédié les lettres. One would have shipped the letters.
nous aurions expédié Nous aurions expédié les marchandises. We would have shipped the goods.
vous auriez expédié Vous auriez expédié le paquet. You would have shipped the package.
ils auraient expédié Ils auraient expédié les produits. They would have shipped the products.
elles auraient expédié Elles auraient expédié les cadeaux. They (female) would have shipped the gifts.

Other Conjugations for Expédier.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb expédier
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Expédier – 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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