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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb calquer

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The English translation of the French verb calquer is “to copy.” It is pronounced as “kal-kay.”

The word calquer comes from the Latin verb “calcare,” meaning to press or stamp. It entered the French language in the 16th century and was originally used in printing to refer to the process of copying a design or image by tracing it onto a new surface.

In everyday French, the verb calquer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which indicates a hypothetical or possible action that would have taken place in the past. In this tense, calquer is conjugated as “j’aurais calqué” for the first-person singular, “tu aurais calqué” for the second-person singular, “il/elle aurait calqué” for the third-person singular, and so on.

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

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais calqué ton dessin. (If I had had more time, I would have copied your drawing.)
  2. Tu aurais calqué ses mots sans même comprendre leur sens. (You would have copied his words without even understanding their meaning.)
  3. Ils auraient calqué leur stratégie sur celle de leurs concurrents. (They would have copied their strategy from their competitors.)

In each of these examples, calquer is used to describe an action that could have taken place in the past, but did not actually happen. It is often used in a negative context, implying that the action was not original or creative.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais calqué Si elle avait réussi, j’aurais calqué ses méthodes. If she had succeeded, I would have copied her methods.
tu aurais calqué Tu aurais calqué son style. You would have imitated his style.
il aurait calqué Il aurait calqué le tableau. He would have traced the painting.
elle aurait calqué Elle aurait calqué ses mouvements. She would have mimicked her movements.
on aurait calqué On aurait calqué leur stratégie. One would have copied their strategy.
nous aurions calqué Nous aurions calqué leur design. We would have copied their design.
vous auriez calqué Vous auriez calqué leur organisation. You would have copied their organization.
ils auraient calqué Ils auraient calqué leur technique. They would have copied their technique.
elles auraient calqué Elles auraient calqué leur comportement. They (female) would have imitated their behavior.

Other Conjugations for Calquer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Calquer – 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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