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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fermer

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The English translation of the French verb fermer is “to close.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “fehr-may.”

The word “fermer” comes from the Latin word “firmāre,” meaning “to make firm.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which translates to the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have taken place in the past.

Here are three simple examples of how “fermer” is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu la clé, j’aurais fermé la porte. (If I had had the key, I would have closed the door.)
  2. Nous aurions fermé les fenêtres s’il avait plu. (We would have closed the windows if it had rained.)
  3. Tu aurais fermé les yeux si tu avais vu le film. (You would have closed your eyes if you had seen the movie.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais fermé Si tu avais été là, je t’aurais fermé la porte. If you had been there, I would have closed the door.
tu aurais fermé Tu aurais fermé la fenêtre. You would have closed the window.
il aurait fermé Il aurait fermé le magasin. He would have closed the store.
elle aurait fermé Elle aurait fermé le rideau. She would have closed the curtain.
on aurait fermé On aurait fermé l’école. One would have closed the school.
nous aurions fermé Nous aurions fermé la porte à clé. We would have locked the door.
vous auriez fermé Vous auriez fermé la boîte. You would have closed the box.
ils auraient fermé Ils auraient fermé les portes. They would have closed the doors.
elles auraient fermé Elles auraient fermé la boutique. They (female) would have closed the shop.

Other Conjugations for Fermer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fermer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Fermer – 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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