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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb exténuer

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The English translation of the French verb exténuer is “to exhaust” or “to wear out.” The infinitive form is pronounced as /ɛksteɲye/.

The verb exténuer comes from the Latin word exhaerere, meaning “to empty out.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action that would have taken place in the past.

Examples of exténuer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais travaillé toute la nuit, je me serais exténué. (If I had worked all night, I would have exhausted myself.)
  2. Elle aurait été exténuée après sa journée de randonnée. (She would have been exhausted after her day of hiking.)
  3. Nous nous serions exténués à chercher la clé si tu ne l’avais pas trouvée. (We would have exhausted ourselves searching for the key if you hadn’t found it.)

In each of these examples, the verb exténuer is used to express a possible outcome in the past. It is often used to describe physical exhaustion or fatigue.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais épuisé Si j’avais couru plus longtemps, j’aurais épuisé mes forces. I would have exhausted my strength if I had run longer.
tu aurais épuisé Tu aurais épuisé toute ton énergie à danser toute la nuit. You would have exhausted all your energy by dancing all night.
il aurait épuisé Il aurait épuisé ses ressources à travailler autant. He would have depleted his resources by working so much.
elle aurait épuisé Elle aurait épuisé sa patience à écouter ses plaintes. She would have exhausted her patience by listening to his complaints.
on aurait épuisé On aurait épuisé toutes nos ressources financières. One would have depleted all our financial resources.
nous aurions épuisé Nous aurions épuisé nos provisions en une semaine. We would have exhausted our supplies in one week.
vous auriez épuisé Vous auriez épuisé toutes vos options avant d’accepter. You would have exhausted all your options before accepting.
ils auraient épuisé Ils auraient épuisé leur endurance en faisant des exercices difficiles. They would have exhausted their endurance by doing difficult exercises.
elles auraient épuisé Elles auraient épuisé leur temps de parole si elles avaient continué à discuter. They (female) would have exhausted their speaking time if they had continued to argue.

Other Conjugations for Exténuer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exténuer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Exténuer – 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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