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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb exposer

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English translation: The English translation of the French verb exposer is “to expose.”

Pronunciation: The infinitive form of exposer is pronounced as “ehk-spoh-ZAY.”

Language origin: The verb exposer comes from the Latin word “exponere,” meaning “to put forth” or “to display.” In everyday French, it is often used in the conditionnel passé tense, which corresponds to the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express a hypothetical or future action that is dependent on a condition that may or may not occur.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais exposé mes idées plus clairement. (If I had known, I would have exposed my ideas more clearly.)

  2. Elle aurait exposé ses œuvres d’art si elle avait eu plus de temps. (She would have exposed her artworks if she had had more time.)

  3. Nous aurions exposé les dangers de ce projet, mais personne ne nous a écoutés. (We would have exposed the dangers of this project, but no one listened to us.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais exposé Si j’avais plus de temps, je t’aurais exposé mon projet. If I had more time, I would have presented my project to you.
tu aurais exposé Tu aurais exposé ton idée au groupe. You would have exposed your idea to the group.
il aurait exposé Il aurait exposé sa théorie lors de la conférence. He would have presented his theory at the conference.
elle aurait exposé Elle aurait exposé son oeuvre dans une galerie. She would have exhibited her work in a gallery.
on aurait exposé On aurait exposé les risques de cette décision. One would have exposed the risks of this decision.
nous aurions exposé Nous aurions exposé nos arguments lors du débat. We would have presented our arguments during the debate.
vous auriez exposé Vous auriez exposé le problème à votre patron. You would have exposed the problem to your boss.
ils auraient exposé Ils auraient exposé leurs découvertes lors de la conférence. They would have presented their findings at the conference.
elles auraient exposé Elles auraient exposé leurs projets à leurs collègues. They (female) would have presented their projects to their colleagues.

Other Conjugations for Exposer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exposer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Exposer – 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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