Le Conditionnel Passé

Question 1

What English verb construction does le conditionnel passé correspond to?

Answer 1

Would have + past participle of the verb

Question 2

What is le conditionnel passé mainly used to express?

e.g. Je l’aurais salué, mais je ne l’ai pas vu.

Answer 2

What would have happened in the past if some other event, action, or situation had occurred.

e.g. I would have greeted him, but I didn’t see him.

Question 3

How is le conditionnel passé used in journalism?

e.g. Deux accidents de voiture auraient eu lieu hier.

Answer 3

To describe an action that is unsure.

e.g. It is reported [alleged, rumored, said] that two car accidents took place yesterday.

Question 4

Describe a usage that le conditionnel passé shares with the conditional.

e.g. Serait‐il arrivé pendant mon absence?

Answer 4

To express a possible action in the past.

e.g. Could he have arrived during my absence?

Question 5

J’aurais pu au travail si je n’avais pas pris une douche avant.

Answer 5

I would have stunk at work if I didn’t shower beforehand. (puer)

puer: to stink; to stink of; reek of

Question 6

Tu aurais conseillé à Marie de changer de carrière.

Answer 6

You (inf.) would have advised Marie to change careers. (conseiller)

conseiller: to advise; to recommend

Question 7

Il aurait neigé plus longtemps aujourd’hui si le soleil n’était pas sorti.

Answer 7

It would have snowed longer today if the sun hadn’t come out. (neiger)

neiger: to snow

Question 8

Nous aurions annulé le pari, mais il s’amusait trop.

Answer 8

We would have cancelled the bet, but he was having too much fun. (annuler)

annuler: to cancel; to call off; to annul (marriage); to declare void or invalid (results); to cancel out (math, physics)

Question 9

Vous auriez rêvé toute la journée si je ne vous avais pas interrompu.

Answer 9

You would have daydreamed all day if I hadn’t interrupted you. (rêvasser)

rêvasser: to daydream

Question 10

Ils auraient faussé les résultats de l’enquête.

Answer 10

They would have falsified the investigation results. (fausser)

fausser: to bend; to buckle; to distort

Question 11

J’**aurais cueilli **des fleurs sauvages dans le champ.

Answer 11

I would have picked wildflowers in the field. (cueillir)

cueillir: to pick (flowers, fruit); to gather (anthropology); to catch (figurative)

Question 12

Tu m’aurais secouru pendant la tempête.

Answer 12

You would have helped me during the storm. (secourir)

secourir: to rescue; to help; to aid

Question 13

Léo n’**aurait pas rugi **aussi fort s’il avait été nourri ce matin.

Answer 13

Leo wouldn’t have roared so loudly if he had been fed this morning. (rugir)

rugir: to roar

Question 14

Nous aurions fléchi devant ses arguments persuasifs.

Answer 14

We would have yielded to his persuasive arguments. (fléchir)

fléchir: to bend (body, knee); to sway (a person); to weaken (rigor, morale); to sag (beam); to relent; to fall off

Question 15

Vous n’auriez pas perçu cette preuve si vous n’aviez pas eu votre équipement avec vous.

Answer 15

You would not have perceived this evidence if you hadn’t had your equipment with you. (percevoir)

percevoir: to perceive; to detect; to collect (taxes); to receive (income, compensation)

Question 16

Des problèmes seraient survenus pendant la réunion.

Answer 16

Problems would have occurred during the meeting. (survenir)

survenir: to occur (incident; delays); to take place (events); to appear, arrive (person); to happen [unexpectedly]
note: survenir is typically not used with “ils” but instead with subjects like: des événements, des complications, des problèmes, des changements, des incidents. It is typically not used with people but with impersonal subjects or events.

Question 17

J’aurais souri à la blague, malgré tout.

Answer 17

I would have smiled at the joke, despite everything. (sourire)

sourire: to smile

Question 18

Tu n’aurais pas tondu la pelouse même si la tondeuse à gazon fonctionnait.

Answer 18

You wouldn’t have mown the lawn even if the lawn mower was working. (tondre)

tondre: to mow (lawn, grass); to shear (sheep, fleece); to crop (hair)

Question 19

Il lui aurait suffi de quelques minutes de plus.

Answer 19

It would have been enough for him to have a few more minutes. (suffire)

suffire: to be enough; to satisfy

Question 20

Nous les aurions exclues de la réunion.

Answer 20

We would have excluded them from the meeting.(exclure)

exclure: to expel; to exclude; to leave out; to rule out

Question 21

Vous vous seriez inscrits au dernier moment.

Answer 21

You would have registered at the last moment.

inscrire: to write down; to note down; to budget for something; to score (a goal); to inscribe (in metal, stone); to enrol somebody at (a school, club)

Question 22

Ils m’auraient convaincu de changer d’avis.

Answer 22

They would have convinced me to change my mind. (convaincre)

convaincre: to persuade; to convince