Introduction to the conditionnel passé (past conditional) in French
The conditionnel passé in French is a verb tense used to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past, meaning an action that could have happened but didn’t. It corresponds to the English “would have”, like for example “would have finished”.
It’s not that hard to learn if you already have a thorough knowledge of French verb conjugation. To form the conditionnel passé, you use the conditional present of the auxiliary verb avoir (to have) or être (to be), followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Conditionnel passé = conditional present of avoir or être + past participle of main verb
For example:
- J’aurais fini mes devoirs
- I would have finished my homework
Aurais is the first person conditional present of avoir. Fini is the past participle of finir (to finish). Here are some more examples.
- Ils seraient partis
- They would have left
- Elle aurait appris la nouvelle
- She would have heard the news
- Si j’avais su, je lui aurais téléphoné avant de partir
- If I had known, I would have called him before leaving
The choice between the auxiliary avoir or être depends on the main verb.
Situations in which the conditional passé is often used
- Si + conditionnel passé: Used to express hypothetical situations in the past.
- Si j’avais étudié plus, j’aurais réussi mon examen
- If I had studied more, I would have passed my exam
- Regrets: Expressing regrets or wishes about past actions.
- J’aurais aimé voyager plus quand j’étais jeune
- I would have liked to travel more when I was young
- Advice or suggestions in the past: Giving advice or suggestions about past actions.
- Tu aurais dû me le dire plus tôt
- You should have told me earlier
- Polite requests or offers: Making polite requests or offers in a hypothetical situation.
- Je vous aurais aidé si vous m’aviez demandé
- I would have helped you if you had asked me