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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb formaliser

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The English translation of the French verb formaliser is “to formalize.” The infinitive form is pronounced as fohr-mah-lee-zay.

The word formaliser is derived from the Latin word “formalis,” meaning “formal.” It entered the French language in the 19th century and is most often used in a business or legal context to describe the process of making something official or officializing something.

In everyday French, formaliser is commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or conditional action that would have taken place in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Si tu avais formalisé ta demande à temps, tu aurais obtenu une réponse positive. (If you had formalized your request on time, you would have received a positive response.)
  2. Nous aurions pu commencer les travaux plus tôt si vous aviez formalisé le contrat la semaine dernière. (We could have started the work earlier if you had formalized the contract last week.)
  3. Elle se demande si son patron aurait accepté sa proposition si elle l’avait formalisée de manière plus détaillée. (She wonders if her boss would have accepted her proposal if she had formalized it in more detail.)

In all of these examples, the action of formalizing is presented as a condition that could have led to a different outcome.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais formalisé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais formalisé. I would have formalized for you.
tu aurais formalisé Tu aurais formalisé le document. You would have formalized the document.
il aurait formalisé Il aurait formalisé l’accord. He would have formalized the agreement.
elle aurait formalisé Elle aurait formalisé sa plainte. She would have formalized her complaint.
on aurait formalisé On aurait formalisé notre relation. One would have formalized our relationship.
nous aurions formalisé Nous aurions formalisé notre contrat. We would have formalized our contract.
vous auriez formalisé Vous auriez formalisé l’entente. You would have formalized the agreement.
ils auraient formalisé Ils auraient formalisé leur projet. They would have formalized their project.
elles auraient formalisé Elles auraient formalisé leur alliance. They (female) would have formalized their alliance.

Other Conjugations for Formaliser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb formaliser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Formaliser – 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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