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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb focaliser

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The English translation of the French verb focaliser is “to focus.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “foh-kah-lee-zay.”

The word “focaliser” comes from the Latin word “focus,” meaning “hearth” or “fireplace.” In French, it refers to concentrating or centering on a particular thing or subject.

In everyday French, the verb focaliser is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the past conditional tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action or event that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three examples of focaliser used in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais étudié plus, j’aurais pu focaliser sur mes examens. (If I had studied more, I could have focused on my exams.)

  2. Nous aurions mieux réussi notre projet si nous avions focalisé sur nos objectifs. (We would have done better on our project if we had focused on our goals.)

  3. Si tu avais écouté mes conseils, tu n’aurais pas focalisé sur les mauvaises choses. (If you had listened to my advice, you wouldn’t have focused on the wrong things.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais focalisé Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais focalisé sur mes études. If I had more time, I would have focused on my studies.
tu aurais focalisé Tu aurais focalisé sur le problème. You would have focused on the problem.
il aurait focalisé Il aurait focalisé sur son travail. He would have focused on his work.
elle aurait focalisé Elle aurait focalisé sur ses enfants. She would have focused on her children.
on aurait focalisé On aurait focalisé sur la solution. One would have focused on the solution.
nous aurions focalisé Nous aurions focalisé sur notre voyage. We would have focused on our trip.
vous auriez focalisé Vous auriez focalisé sur le futur. You would have focused on the future.
ils auraient focalisé Ils auraient focalisé sur le problème. They would have focused on the problem.
elles auraient focalisé Elles auraient focalisé sur leur carrière. They (female) would have focused on their career.

Other Conjugations for Focaliser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb focaliser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Focaliser – 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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