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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gagner

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The English translation of the French verb gagner is “to win” or “to earn.” It is pronounced as “gahn-yeh.”

The word gagner comes from the Latin word “cannae,” which means “to capture or to gain.” In everyday French, gagner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express a past action that may or may not have happened, depending on a condition.

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

  1. Si j’avais participé à la compétition, j’aurais gagné la médaille d’or. (If I had participated in the competition, I would have won the gold medal.)
  2. Nous aurions gagné ce match si nous avions mieux joué. (We would have won this match if we had played better.)
  3. Ils auraient gagné plus d’argent s’ils avaient investi dans cette entreprise. (They would have earned more money if they had invested in this company.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais gagné Si j’avais travaillé plus, j’aurais gagné plus. If I had worked more, I would have earned more.
tu aurais gagné Tu aurais gagné le match. You would have won the game.
il aurait gagné Il aurait gagné le concours. He would have won the competition.
elle aurait gagné Elle aurait gagné beaucoup d’argent. She would have earned a lot of money.
on aurait gagné On aurait gagné en jouant en équipe. We would have won by playing as a team.
nous aurions gagné Nous aurions gagné le prix. We would have won the prize.
vous auriez gagné Vous auriez gagné si vous aviez participé. You would have won if you had participated.
ils auraient gagné Ils auraient gagné le tournoi. They would have won the tournament.
elles auraient gagné Elles auraient gagné le concours. They (female) would have won the contest.

Other Conjugations for Gagner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gagner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Gagner – 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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