Concept Map — Conditionnel passé

"Would have done." The result-half of a past regret, and the tense that lets
you talk about the path not taken. It closes the si-system: with this,
all three hypothesis rungs are complete.

Anchor

The conditionnel passé is built like the passé composé / plus-que-parfait, with
the auxiliary in the conditionnel présent:

avoir/être (conditionnel présent) + past participle
j'aurais fait (I would have done) · je serais parti·e (I would have left) ·
je me serais levée (I would have gotten up)

Its core job is the unreal past: what would have happened if things had been
different. It is the partner of [[plus-que-parfait]] in the regret structure:

Si j'avais su (PQP), je ne serais pas venue (conditionnel passé).
(Had I known, I wouldn't have come.)

Prerequisites

This tense is two layers stacked — control both first:

• [[Conditionnel-Present-Formation]] (create) — you conjugate the auxiliary
  here (j'aurais, tu aurais, il aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez,
  ils auraient / je serais, tu serais…). Conditionnel présent = futur stem +
  imparfait endings.
• [[plus-que-parfait]] — its mirror image: PQP is avoir/être (imparfait) + PP;
  conditionnel passé is avoir/être (conditionnel) + PP. Same participles. ✓
• [[Passe-Compose-Formation]] (create) — same avoir-vs-être split.
• [[Etre-Verbs-Agreement]] (create) — agreement carries over:
  je serais allée, elle se serait levée, ils seraient partis
  (logged weak point — Control Center → Current Weak Points).

The Contrast

Two confusions to kill — both about time and mood:

Cue / Function	Conditionnel passé (would have)	Other tense
Unreal past result	J'aurais aimé venir. (but I didn't)	J'aimerais venir. = conditionnel présent (would like — now)
Regret / reproach	Tu aurais dû me le dire. (you should have)	Tu devrais me le dire. = present advice (you should)
Unrealized past possibility	On aurait pu gagner. (we could have)	On pourrait gagner. = it's still possible
The result of si + PQP	Si j'avais su, je serais partie.	si-half stays plus-que-parfait, never conditionnel
Unconfirmed news ("allegedly")	Le suspect aurait pris la fuite.	passé composé a pris = stated as fact

Conditionnel présent vs passé is the heart: présent = "would (now/future)",
passé = "would have (in the past, didn't happen)". The auxiliary tense is the
only visible difference: je ferais → j'aurais fait.

Companion Language Points

• [[si-clauses-hypotheses]] — this tense is the result of pattern 3. Never
  drill it alone; always pair it with its si + plus-que-parfait condition. ✓
• [[plus-que-parfait]] — the condition-half partner; the two were built together. ✓
• High-frequency modals in conditionnel passé — learn as a set:
  j'aurais dû (should have), j'aurais pu (could have), j'aurais voulu
  (would have liked / wish I had), il aurait fallu (it would have been necessary).

Fixed Expressions

French	Use
J'aurais dû / pu / voulu …	"I should / could / would have liked to…" — the regret trio.
Tu aurais dû me le dire.	"You should have told me." — soft reproach.
Ça aurait été génial / mieux.	"It would have been great / better."
J'aurais jamais cru / pensé que …	"I'd never have thought…" — reaction.
Selon la police, il aurait …	"According to police, he allegedly…" — news register.

What Completes It / Study Next

• [[si-clauses-hypotheses]] — the umbrella this tense slots into; with both built,
  the si-system is fully mapped (présent→futur ▸ imparfait→cond. présent ▸
  PQP→cond. passé). ✓
• [[Subjonctif-Passe]] (create) — the next irrealis layer (bien que j'aie fait),
  pairs with the [[si-clauses-hypotheses]] frontier toward the subjunctive.
• Drill direction: narrate one decision you regret using j'aurais dû … +
  the full Si j'avais …, je serais/aurais … sentence.

Linked Sources

Source	Note	Use For
Companion	[[si-clauses-hypotheses]]	the pattern this tense completes; read together.
Prerequisite	[[plus-que-parfait]]	the condition-half mirror; same participles & agreement.
Cross-reference	[[french-learning-crossref]]	logs si + PQP → conditionnel passé (Iran vlog) as ahead-of-curriculum.
YouTube lesson	[[Languages/French/Youtube Lessons/2026-04-28-camille-reporter-naomi-henri-a-la-rue|Camille — à la rue]]	reportage "aurait + PP" allegation register in the wild.
Topic Hub	[[Languages/French/Topic Hubs/travel-hotel-transport|Travel / Hotel / Transport]]	"the trip I should have planned differently" — regret scene.

Production Drill

Scene: A decision you'd change — tell it in 5–6 sentences, out loud.

Force in one telling:

• one full regret: Si j'avais …, je serais / j'aurais … (PQP + conditionnel passé);
• one j'aurais dû … (should have) and one j'aurais pu … (could have);
• one correct être-agreement (je serais partie, on serait restés);
• bonus: one "allegation" sentence (Il aurait …) in news register.

Mini self-test (answer without looking):

1. "I would have liked to come." → ?
2. "You should have told me." → ?
3. "We could have won." → ?
4. "Had I known, I wouldn't have come." → ?
5. "According to the article, he allegedly left." → ?

Answers

1. J'aurais aimé venir.
2. Tu aurais dû me le dire.
3. On aurait pu gagner.
4. Si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venue. (si + PQP → conditionnel passé)
5. Selon l'article, il serait parti. (journalistic conditional)

Anki Candidates

Pushed to Anki deck Claude French YouTube::Grammar (7 new cards, 2026-06-30; tags: concept-map, conditionnel-passe, french-expand):

• J'aurais aimé venir. — conditionnel passé = unreal past wish ("would have liked")
• Tu aurais dû me le dire. — aurais dû = "should have" (reproach)
• On aurait pu gagner. — aurait pu = "could have"
• [~] Si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venue. — result of si + plus-que-parfait (already in deck from [[plus-que-parfait]]; intentional shared card)
• je ferais vs j'aurais fait — conditionnel présent (would) vs passé (would have)
• Selon la police, il aurait pris la fuite. — journalistic/allegation conditional
• être-agreement: je serais partie ; elle se serait levée — agrees like passé composé
• +1 more (how the conditionnel passé is formed) — see TSV backup