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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb câliner

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The English translation of the French verb câliner is “to cuddle” or “to hug”. It is pronounced as “kah-lee-nei”.

The language origin of câliner can be traced back to the Old French word “calin” meaning “to caress” or “to hug”. It also has roots in the Latin word “calere” which means “to be warm”.

In everyday French, câliner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have occurred in the past. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of câliner.

3 examples of câliner used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations are:

  1. Si j’avais eu un chien quand j’étais jeune, je l’aurais câliné tous les jours. (If I had had a dog when I was young, I would have cuddled it every day.)
  2. Il aurait été tellement heureux si tu l’avais câliné après sa mauvaise journée. (He would have been so happy if you had cuddled him after his bad day.)
  3. Nous serions restés au lit toute la journée si nous avions pu câliner sans interruption. (We would have stayed in bed all day if we could have cuddled without interruption.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais câliné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais câliné. I would have cuddled you.
tu aurais câliné Tu aurais câliné plus tôt. You would have cuddled earlier.
il aurait câliné Il aurait câliné son chien. He would have hugged his dog.
elle aurait câliné Elle aurait câliné sa sœur. She would have cuddled her sister.
on aurait câliné On aurait câliné les enfants. One would have cuddled the children.
nous aurions câliné Nous aurions câliné les chats. We would have cuddled the cats.
vous auriez câliné Vous auriez câliné avec eux. You would have cuddled with them.
ils auraient câliné Ils auraient câliné leurs amis. They would have hugged their friends.
elles auraient câliné Elles auraient câliné leurs chiens. They (female) would have cuddled their dogs.

Other Conjugations for Câliner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb câliner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Câliner – 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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