Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cacarder

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The English translation of the French verb cacarder is “to cackle” or “to honk.” It is pronounced as “ka-ka-rde.”

The word cacarder comes from the onomatopoeic sound “cacare” which imitates the sound of a duck or a chicken cackling. It is considered an informal and playful word in French and is often used in a figurative sense.

In everyday French, cacarder is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which corresponds to the English “would have cackled.” This tense is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions that could have happened in the past.

Here are three examples of cacarder in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su qu’il était si drôle, j’aurais cacardé toute la soirée. (If I had known he was so funny, I would have cackled all evening.)
  2. Elle aurait cacardé de joie si elle avait gagné le concours. (She would have cackled with joy if she had won the contest.)
  3. Vous seriez partis plus tôt si vous n’aviez pas entendu les oiseaux cacarder toute la nuit. (You would have left earlier if you hadn’t heard the birds cackling all night long.)

Table of the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of cacarder

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cacardé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais cacardé. I would have quacked at you.
tu aurais cacardé Tu aurais cacardé plus tôt. You would have quacked earlier.
il aurait cacardé Il aurait cacardé du coq. He would have quacked like a rooster.
elle aurait cacardé Elle aurait cacardé en chantant. She would have quacked while singing.
on aurait cacardé On aurait cacardé comme des canards. One would have quacked like ducks.
nous aurions cacardé Nous aurions cacardé en riant. We would have quacked while laughing.
vous auriez cacardé Vous auriez cacardé avec eux. You would have quacked with them.
ils auraient cacardé Ils auraient cacardé toute la journée. They would have quacked all day.
elles auraient cacardé Elles auraient cacardé pour impressionner. They (female) would have quacked to impress.

Other Conjugations for Cacarder.

    

    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder
     

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder
     

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder
     

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder
     

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder
     

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder
     

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder
     

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder
     

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder
     

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder
     

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder  (this article)

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacarder


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Cacarder – About the French Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Passé” is a compound tense used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is formed by combining the conditional of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

Start with the conditional of the auxiliary verb: For most verbs, use “aurais” (for “avoir”) or “serais” (for “être”) as the conditional form. 

With “avoir”: j’aurais, tu aurais, il/elle/on aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez, ils/elles auraient. 
With “être”: je serais, tu serais, il/elle/on serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils/elles seraient. 

Add the past participle of the main verb to this conditional form. 
For example, if you want to say “I would have done,” you would use “j’aurais fait.” If you want to say “She would have gone,” you would use “elle serait allée.”

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Unreal Past Scenarios

The Conditionnel Passé is often used to talk about actions that did not happen in the past, but you are speculating about what would have occurred if they had. It’s a way to discuss hypothetical situations in the past. 

Si j’avais su, je t’aurais aidé. (If I had known, I would have helped you.)
Il serait venu s’il avait eu le temps. (He would have come if he had had the time.) 

Polite Requests or Suggestions

It can be used to make polite requests or suggestions in the past. 

Pourriez-vous m’aider, s’il vous plaît ? (Could you have helped me, please?) 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

It can convey doubt or uncertainty regarding past events.

Il aurait peut-être oublié notre rendez-vous. (He might have forgotten our appointment.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Conditional Present

You can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional present to describe past actions that were hypothetical at the time they were spoken about. J’aurais aimé que tu m’appelles hier. (I would have liked you to call me yesterday.) 

Indicative Past Tenses

You might use the Conditionnel Passé alongside indicative past tenses like the passé composé to contrast hypothetical and real past events. Il est venu hier, mais s’il avait pu, il serait venu la semaine dernière. (He came yesterday, but if he could have, he would have come last week.) 

Conditional Future

In some cases, you can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional future to discuss unreal past events that could have consequences in the future. Si j’avais réussi mon examen, j’aurais un meilleur travail. (If I had passed my exam, I would have a better job.)

Summary

In summary, the Conditionnel Passé is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is often used in conjunction with other tenses to convey various nuances in French, allowing speakers to discuss imaginary past scenarios, make polite requests, or express doubt about past events.

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