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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb caler

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The English translation of the French verb caler is “to stall” or “to slow down.” It is pronounced as “kah-leh” in its infinitive form.

The origin of the word caler comes from the Latin word “calare,” which means “to stop” or “to slacken.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express a hypothetical or possible action that would have occurred in the past.

Here are three simple examples of caler in the Conditionnel Passé tense and their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais calé mes études pour voyager plus. (If I had known, I would have slowed down my studies to travel more.)

  2. Tu aurais dû caler ta voiture avant de partir en vacances. (You should have stalled your car before going on vacation.)

  3. Nous aurions calé la date de notre mariage si nous avions su qu’il y aurait une pandémie. (We would have set the date of our wedding if we had known there would be a pandemic.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais calé Si tu avais bu moins, tu aurais calé. If you had drunk less, you would have stalled.
tu aurais calé Tu aurais calé le moteur. You would have stalled the engine.
il aurait calé Il aurait calé à cette question. He would have struggled with this question.
elle aurait calé Elle aurait calé dans la file d’attente. She would have stalled in the line.
on aurait calé On aurait calé avant la fin du trajet. We would have stalled before the end of the trip.
nous aurions calé Nous aurions calé pour trouver une solution. We would have struggled to find a solution.
vous auriez calé Vous auriez calé si vous aviez examiné les instructions. You would have struggled if you had looked through the instructions.
ils auraient calé Ils auraient calé à la première difficulté. They would have stalled at the first difficulty.
elles auraient calé Elles auraient calé si elles n’avaient pas eu d’aide. They (female) would have struggled if they hadn’t had help.

Other Conjugations for Caler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb caler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Caler – 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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