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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb effrayer

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The English translation of the French verb effrayer is “to scare” or “to frighten.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “eh-fray-yay.”

Effrayer comes from the Old French word “esfreer,” which means “to terrify, frighten.” It ultimately derives from the Latin word “exfricare,” meaning “to shake out, frighten.”

In everyday French, effrayer is most often used in the Conditionnel Présent tense to express a possibility or hypothetical situation. It is often used in conjunction with the conditional word “si” (if) to describe a potential consequence or action.

Three simple examples of effrayer in the Conditionnel Présent tense are:

  1. Si j’étais seul dans une maison hantée, j’effrayerais certainement. (If I were alone in a haunted house, I would definitely be scared.)
  2. Tu ne devrais pas affronter ce lion, il pourrait t’effrayer. (You shouldn’t confront that lion, it might scare you.)
  3. Nous pourrions les effrayer en leur donnant une fausse alerte. (We could scare them by giving them a false alarm.)

English translations:

  1. If I were alone in a haunted house, I would definitely be scared.
  2. You shouldn’t confront that lion, it might scare you.
  3. We could scare them by giving them a false alarm.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je effrayerais Je effrayerais mes ennemis. I would scare my enemies.
tu effrayerais Tu effrayerais mieux. You would scare better.
il effrayerait Il effrayerait tout le monde. He would scare everyone.
elle effrayerait Elle effrayerait ses amis. She would scare her friends.
on effrayerait On effrayerait les enfants. One would scare the children.
nous effrayerions Nous effrayerions les animaux. We would scare the animals.
vous effrayeriez Vous effrayeriez les passants. You would scare the passersby.
ils effrayeraient Ils effrayeraient les gens. They would scare people.
elles effrayeraient Elles effrayeraient les chiens. They would scare the dogs.

Other Conjugations for Effrayer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb effrayer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Effrayer – 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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