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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affermer

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The English translation of the French verb affermer is “to affirm” or “to assert.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced “ah-fehr-may.”

Affermer comes from the Old French word “afirmer,” which is derived from the Latin word “affirmare,” meaning “to strengthen” or “to confirm.” In everyday French, affermer is most often used in the Conditionnel Présent tense to express a possibility or a hypothetical situation.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Présent tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais plus de temps, j’affirmerais mes opinions politiques plus souvent. (If I had more time, I would assert my political opinions more often.)

  2. Je ne suis pas sûr, mais je pense qu’elle affermerait ses compétences si elle avait l’opportunité de travailler à l’étranger. (I’m not sure, but I think she would affirm her skills if she had the opportunity to work abroad.)

  3. Si le président de la société démissionnait, le vice-président affermerait son leadership pour prendre sa place. (If the company’s president resigned, the vice-president would assert his leadership to take his place.)

Table of the Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of affermer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je affermerais Je affermerais la porte. I would close the door.
tu affermerais Tu affermerais la fenêtre. You would shut the window.
il affermerait Il affermerait la boutique. He would lock the shop.
elle affermerait Elle affermerait le contrat. She would finalize the contract.
on affermerait On affermerait l’accord. One would confirm the agreement.
nous affermerions Nous affermerions le contrat. We would seal the contract.
vous affermeriez Vous affermeriez la porte. You would close the door.
ils affermeraient Ils affermeraient les fenêtres. They would shut the windows.
elles affermeraient Elles affermeraient la maison. They would lock the house.

Other Conjugations for Affermer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affermer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affermer (this article)

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Affermer – About the French Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Présent” tense, often called the present conditional tense in English, is used to express actions or events that are considered hypothetical, possible, or uncertain in the present or future. It’s the equivalent of “would” or “could” in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Conditionnel Présent tense for regular verbs, you take the infinitive form of the verb and add the appropriate endings. For example, using the verb “parler” (to speak): 

Je parlerais (I would speak) 
Tu parlerais (You would speak)
Il/elle/on parlerait (He/she/one would speak)
Nous parlerions (We would speak) 
Vous parleriez (You would speak)
Ils/elles parleraient (They would speak) 

Note – For irregular verbs, the stem might change, so you need to memorize the conjugation.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Polite Requests

The Conditionnel Présent is often used to make polite requests or suggestions. Instead of using the imperative, which can be more direct, the conditional is softer and more courteous. For example: “Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît” (I would like a coffee, please). 

Expressing Hypothetical Situations

It’s used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations. For instance, “Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une nouvelle voiture” (If I had money, I would buy a new car). 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

The conditional can convey doubt or uncertainty about something in the present or future. “Il serait peut-être en retard” (He might be late).

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Tense

The Conditionnel Présent is often used with the present tense to express hypothetical or conditional statements. For example, “Si tu viens demain, nous irons au cinéma” (If you come tomorrow, we will go to the movies). 

Past Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can also be used with past tenses like the imparfait to indicate a past hypothetical action. For instance, “J’aurais aimé être là hier” (I would have liked to be there yesterday). 

Future Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can be combined with the future tense to indicate future actions that are dependent on certain conditions. For example, “Il viendrait si tu l’invitais” (He would come if you invited him).
 

Conditional Perfect

If you want to express a hypothetical action in the past that didn’t happen, you can use the Conditionnel Présent with the past participle to form the conditional perfect. For example, “Il aurait fini son travail s’il n’était pas tombé malade” (He would have finished his work if he hadn’t gotten sick).

Summary

The Conditionnel Présent is a versatile tense in French, allowing speakers to discuss possibilities, hypothetical scenarios, and make polite requests. It’s essential to understand its usage patterns and how it interacts with other tenses to communicate effectively in various situations.

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