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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cadenasser

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The English translation of the French verb cadenasser is “to padlock” or “to lock up.” The infinitive form, cadenasser, is pronounced “kah-duh-nah-say.”

The word cadenasser comes from the combination of the words “cadenas” meaning “padlock” and “asser” meaning “to tighten.” It is a transitive verb that is used to describe the action of securing something with a padlock.

In everyday French, cadenasser is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express an action that would have been completed in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Three simple examples of cadenasser in the Conditionnel Passé tense could be:

  1. Si j’avais eu un cadenas, j’aurais cadenassé mon vélo. (If I had had a padlock, I would have locked up my bike.)
  2. Nous aurions cadenassé la porte si nous avions su que le voleur rôdait dans le quartier. (We would have padlocked the door if we had known that the thief was lurking in the neighborhood.)
  3. Tu aurais mieux fait de cadenasser ta valise avant de laisser ta chambre d’hôtel. (You should have locked your suitcase before leaving your hotel room.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cadenassé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais cadenassé la porte. I would have locked the door if I had known.
tu aurais cadenassé Tu aurais cadenassé le coffre-fort avant de partir. You would have locked the safe before leaving.
il aurait cadenassé Il aurait cadenassé la porte de la maison. He would have locked the house door.
elle aurait cadenassé Elle aurait cadenassé ses valises avant de partir. She would have locked her suitcases before leaving.
on aurait cadenassé On aurait cadenassé toutes les portes. One would have locked all the doors.
nous aurions cadenassé Nous aurions cadenassé nos vélos pour les protéger. We would have locked our bikes to protect them.
vous auriez cadenassé Vous auriez cadenassé vos affaires dans le vestiaire. You would have locked your belongings in the locker.
ils auraient cadenassé Ils auraient cadenassé la grille du jardin. They would have locked the garden gate.
elles auraient cadenassé Elles auraient cadenassé les fenêtres avant de partir. They (female) would have locked the windows before leaving.

Other Conjugations for Cadenasser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cadenasser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Cadenasser – 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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