The lesson contains no statement on how le conditional passé is formed, leaving the student to infer the rule from examples alone. I don't find that a great way to learn. Looking at some of the Q&A on this lesson from others it seems I'm not alone.
Look at these examples of aller in the Conditionnel Passé:
Je serais allé en Australie si j'avais eu les moyens.
I would have gone to Australia if I could have afforded it.
Tu y serais allée toi-même?
Would you have gone (there) yourself?
Serait-elle déjà partie?
Would she have left already?
Nous serions arrivés plus tôt s'il n'y avait pas eu d'embouteillage.
We would have arrived earlier if there hadn't been a traffic jam.
Seriez-vous partis si je vous l'avais demandé?
Would you have left if I had asked you?
Apparemment, ils seraient partis ce matin.
Apparently, they would have left this morning.
Selon Tom, elles seraient rentrées chez elles vers 3h.
According to Tom, they apparently went home (lit.would have come home) around 3.
Notice that être is used - not avoir.
Just as with the Passé Composé, some verbs (mostly movement verbs) conjugate with être in the Conditionnel Passé:
je serais, tu serais, il serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils seraient (Conditionnel) + allé (or other past participle)
Note also that the past participle allé changes if the person doing the action is feminine (allée) or masculine, and singular or plural (allés/allées).
See other lessons on Le Conditionnel Passé:
Conjugate regular -er, -ir, -dre verbs (+ avoir) in Le Conditionnel Passé (past conditional)
Conjugate verbs with irregular past participles in Le Conditionnel Passé (past conditional)
Conjugate devoir in Le Conditionnel Passé = should have (past conditional)
Conjugate pouvoir in Le Conditionnel Passé = could have (past conditional)
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Tu y serais allée toi-même?
Would you have gone (there) yourself?
Elle serait allée les voir si elle avait eu le temps.
She would have gone to see them if she had had the time.
Serait-elle déjà partie?
Would she have left already?
Nous serions arrivés plus tôt s'il n'y avait pas eu d'embouteillage.
We would have arrived earlier if there hadn't been a traffic jam.
Seriez-vous partis si je vous l'avais demandé?
Would you have left if I had asked you?
Je serais allé en Australie si j'avais eu les moyens.
I would have gone to Australia if I could have afforded it.
Apparemment, ils seraient partis ce matin.
Apparently, they would have left this morning.
Selon Tom, elles seraient rentrées chez elles vers 3h.
According to Tom, they apparently went home (lit.would have come home) around 3.
aller
partir
sortir
Q&A Forum 4 questions, 5 answers
This is the "root lesson" for the conditionel passé: https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/glossary/verb-tense-mood/the-french-past-conditional-le-conditionnel-passe
Rob asked:View original
Le Conditionnel Passé
The lesson contains no statement on how le conditional passé is formed, leaving the student to infer the rule from examples alone. I don't find that a great way to learn. Looking at some of the Q&A on this lesson from others it seems I'm not alone.
Don't have an account yet? Join today
MayKwiziq community member
être
Do these sentences only use être because they are using DRMRSVANDERTRAMP verbs?
Asked 9 months ago
Hi May,
Yes, that is one way they are taught at school to remember which verbs take 'être' (rather than 'avoir') when conjugating certain tenses...
And if it works for you, carry on using it ....
May asked:View original
être
Do these sentences only use être because they are using DRMRSVANDERTRAMP verbs?
Don't have an account yet? Join today
VanessaKwiziq community member
Hi. I am confused about some of the sentences in this lesson
Some sentences seem very similar to "will have" (futur antérrior) and I can't tell the difference. For example: Apparemment, ils seraient partis ce matin.
Apparently, they would have left this morning.
Selon Tom, elles seraient rentrées chez elles vers 3 heures.
According to Tom, they would have come home around 3. Why would you not say"According to Tom, they will have come home around 3" or "Apparently they will have left this morning"?
Asked 2 years ago
Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
These various sentences require a condition to be met whether implied or not.
If we write "Will have, etc." there is no condition to be met, there is a sense of certainty.
Perhaps there appears to be similarity but the point to bear in mind is the mood implied --
certainty or conditional.
Hope that helps.
Alan
MichaelKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Adding to what Jim said:
The futur anterieur uses the future of the auxiliary and is a sort of a "future perfect" - ie. will have left/gone/eaten. - so Ils seront partis ce matin là, or elles seront rentrées chez elles, or je serai arrivé...
The conditionnel passé refers to something in the past which might or might not have occurred - ie. would have left/gone/eaten.
Vanessa asked:View original
Hi. I am confused about some of the sentences in this lesson
Some sentences seem very similar to "will have" (futur antérrior) and I can't tell the difference. For example: Apparemment, ils seraient partis ce matin.
Apparently, they would have left this morning.
Selon Tom, elles seraient rentrées chez elles vers 3 heures.
According to Tom, they would have come home around 3. Why would you not say"According to Tom, they will have come home around 3" or "Apparently they will have left this morning"?
Don't have an account yet? Join today
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Jeremy !
Yes, we have a combined lesson for verbs with irregular past participles in Le Conditionnel Passé:
Conjugate verbs with irregular past participles in Le Conditionnel Passé (past conditional)
Thanks to your message, we added links to related lessons to these lessons :)
Merci et à bientôt !
Don't have an account yet? Join today
