The past conditional (le conditionnel passé) is a compound tense that expresses hypothetical situations in the past. It's formed using the conditional of the auxiliary verb (avoir/être) plus the past participle. Think of it as "would have" in English. It is used for:
- Past hypothetical situations ("I would have done it")
- Expressing regret ("I should have studied")
- Past unfulfilled wishes ("I would have liked to...")
- Polite requests about the past
- Reported speech in the past
- Third condition (if clauses) with plus-que-parfait
Formation
Conditional of auxiliary (avoir/être) + past participle
Regular Past Participles
| Verb Type | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -er verbs | -é | parler → parlé |
| -ir verbs | -i | finir → fini |
| -re verbs | -u | vendre → vendu |
Common Examples
Each one is the conditional of the auxiliary with its own participle.
| Subject | avoir | être | faire |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | aurais eu | aurais été | aurais fait |
| tu | aurais eu | aurais été | aurais fait |
| il/elle/on | aurait eu | aurait été | aurait fait |
| nous | aurions eu | aurions été | aurions fait |
| vous | auriez eu | auriez été | auriez fait |
| ils/elles | auraient eu | auraient été | auraient fait |
avoir is the auxiliary and the verb at once: j'aurais eu.
avoir in Conditionnel Passé
être takes avoir in its own compound tenses: j'aurais été.
être in Conditionnel Passé
faire keeps its short participle, fait.
faire in Conditionnel Passé
Note: With non-reflexive être verbs, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.