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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb expirer

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The English translation of the French verb expirer is “to expire” or “to run out.” The infinitive form is pronounced “eks-pee-reh.”

The word expirer comes from the Latin verb “expirare,” meaning “to breathe out” or “to exhale.” This verb was adopted into Old French as “expirer” and has remained relatively unchanged in modern French.

In everyday French, expirer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical action that would have taken place in the past. This tense is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb (in this case, expiré). It is typically used to talk about missed opportunities or unrealized actions in the past.

Here are three examples of how expirer is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su que le contrat allait expirer, je l’aurais renouvelé à temps.
    Translation: If I had known that the contract was going to expire, I would have renewed it on time.

  2. Je me demande ce qui se serait passé si le permis de conduire de mon ami avait expiré pendant notre voyage.
    Translation: I wonder what would have happened if my friend’s driver’s license had expired during our trip.

  3. Si l’offre avait expiré hier, nous aurions raté une occasion en or.
    Translation: If the offer had expired yesterday, we would have missed a golden opportunity.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais expiré Si j’avais su, j’aurais expiré. I would have expired.
tu aurais expiré Tu aurais expiré avant lui. You would have expired before him.
il aurait expiré Il aurait expiré son contrat. He would have expired his contract.
elle aurait expiré Elle aurait expiré à minuit. She would have expired at midnight.
on aurait expiré On aurait expiré son visa. One would have expired their visa.
nous aurions expiré Nous aurions expiré ensemble. We would have expired together.
vous auriez expiré Vous auriez expiré trop tôt. You would have expired too early.
ils auraient expiré Ils auraient expiré leur contrat. They would have expired their contract.
elles auraient expiré Elles auraient expiré avant l’heure. They (female) would have expired before the time.

Other Conjugations for Expirer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb expirer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Expirer – 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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