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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb forcer

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The English translation of the French verb forcer is “to force.” The infinitive form, forcer, is pronounced as [for-seh] in French.

The word forcer comes from the Latin word “fortiare,” meaning “to strengthen” or “to exert force.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been used in its current form since the 14th century.

In everyday French, forcer is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which corresponds to the English conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Three simple examples of forcer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais pu, je t’aurais forcée à venir avec moi. (If I had been able to, I would have forced you to come with me.)
  2. Nous aurions dû te forcer à étudier plus dur pour réussir tes examens. (We should have forced you to study harder to pass your exams.)
  3. Il aurait fallu qu’elle se force à faire du sport pour rester en forme. (She would have had to force herself to exercise to stay in shape.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais forcé Si tu avais besoin d’aide, je t’aurais forcé à demander. If you needed help, I would have forced you to ask.
tu aurais forcé Si j’étais ton frère, tu m’aurais forcé à jouer au foot. If I were your brother, you would have forced me to play soccer.
il aurait forcé Il aurait forcé sa petite sœur à manger des légumes. He would have forced his little sister to eat vegetables.
elle aurait forcé Elle aurait forcé son petit ami à regarder un film romantique. She would have forced her boyfriend to watch a romantic movie.
on aurait forcé On aurait forcé les enfants à faire leurs devoirs. One would have forced the kids to do their homework.
nous aurions forcé Nous aurions forcé la porte si elle avait été fermée. We would have forced the door if it had been closed.
vous auriez forcé Si vous aviez été là, vous nous auriez forcés à danser. If you had been there, you would have forced us to dance.
ils auraient forcé Ils auraient forcé les prisonniers à travailler. They would have forced the prisoners to work.
elles auraient forcé Si elles avaient su, elles auraient forcées leur ami à demander de l’aide. If they had known, they would have forced their friend to ask for help.

Other Conjugations for Forcer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb forcer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Forcer – 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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