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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb familiariser

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The English translation of the French verb familiariser is “to familiarize.” It is pronounced as “fah-meel-ee-ah-ree-zay” in its infinitive form.

The verb familiariser comes from the Latin word “familiaris,” meaning “belonging to a family.” It entered the French language in the 14th century and has been used to refer to the process of making something or someone more familiar or at ease.

In everyday French, familiariser is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical action in the past. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the Conditionnel Présent tense and adding the past participle of familiariser (familiarisé).

Here are 3 simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais familiarisé mon chat avec les autres animaux, il ne serait plus agressif maintenant. (If I had familiarized my cat with other animals, he wouldn’t be aggressive now.)
  2. Elle aurait mieux réussi son examen si elle s’était familiarisée avec le sujet avant. (She would have done better on her exam if she had familiarized herself with the subject beforehand.)
  3. Nous aurions pu nous familiariser avec les coutumes locales si nous étions restés plus longtemps en vacances. (We could have familiarized ourselves with the local customs if we had stayed longer on vacation.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais familiarisé(e) Si j’avais eu plus de temps, je me serais familiarisé(e) avec l’histoire de la ville. If I had had more time, I would have familiarized myself with the city’s history.
tu te serais familiarisé(e) Tu te serais familiarisé(e) avec les règles si tu les avais lues. You would have familiarized yourself with the rules if you had read them.
il se serait familiarisé Il se serait familiarisé avec l’équipe s’il avait pu assister aux réunions. He would have familiarized himself with the team if he had been able to attend the meetings.
elle se serait familiarisée Elle se serait familiarisée avec la culture en voyageant davantage. She would have familiarized herself with the culture by traveling more.
on se serait familiarisé On se serait familiarisé avec les nouvelles technologies si on avait eu plus de temps. One would have familiarized oneself with new technologies if one had had more time.
nous nous serions familiarisés Nous nous serions familiarisés avec les coutumes locales si nous étions restés plus longtemps. We would have familiarized ourselves with local customs if we had stayed longer.
vous vous seriez familiarisés Vous vous seriez familiarisés avec le programme si vous aviez assisté à toutes les formations. You would have familiarized yourselves with the program if you had attended all the trainings.
ils se seraient familiarisés Ils se seraient familiarisés avec les nouvelles technologies s’ils avaient rejoint l’entreprise plus tôt. They would have familiarized themselves with new technologies if they had joined the company earlier.
elles se seraient familiarisées Elles se seraient familiarisées avec la culture locale si elles avaient passé plus de temps ici. They (female) would have familiarized themselves with the local culture if they had spent more time here.

Other Conjugations for Familiariser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb familiariser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Familiariser – 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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