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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb calomnier

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The English translation of the French verb calomnier is “to slander” or “to defame.” It is pronounced as “kah-loh-mnee-yay.”

The word calomnier comes from the Latin word “calumniari,” which means “to accuse falsely.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses an action that would have happened in the past if a certain condition were met. It is also used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of calomnier used in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su qu’il était si méchant, je l’aurais calomnié devant tout le monde. (If I had known he was so mean, I would have slandered him in front of everyone.)

  2. Elle aurait calomnié son adversaire si elle avait perdu l’élection. (She would have defamed her opponent if she had lost the election.)

  3. Si tu m’avais écouté, tu n’aurais pas été calomnié par tes collègues. (If you had listened to me, you would not have been slandered by your colleagues.)

In these examples, the verb calomnier is used to express a hypothetical action in the past, following the Conditionnel Passé structure “avoir/être + past participle.” The English translations also use the conditional perfect tense to convey the same meaning.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais calomnié Si j’avais su, je t’aurais calomnié. I would have slandered you.
tu aurais calomnié Tu aurais calomnié plus tôt. You would have slandered earlier.
il aurait calomnié Il aurait calomnié son voisin. He would have slandered his neighbor.
elle aurait calomnié Elle aurait calomnié sa collègue. She would have slandered her colleague.
on aurait calomnié On aurait calomnié l’entreprise. One would have slandered the company.
nous aurions calomnié Nous aurions calomnié sans preuve. We would have slandered without proof.
vous auriez calomnié Vous auriez calomnié les politiciens. You would have slandered politicians.
ils auraient calomnié Ils auraient calomnié leur adversaire. They would have slandered their opponent.
elles auraient calomnié Elles auraient calomnié leur ex-mari. They (female) would have slandered their ex-husband.

Other Conjugations for Calomnier.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calomnier
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Calomnier – 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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