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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb canuler

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The English translation of the French verb canuler is “to curl”. It is pronounced as “ka-nyuh-lay”.

Canuler originated from the French word “cano” which means “tube”. It is derived from the Latin word “canna” which also means “tube”. In everyday French, canuler is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met.

Here are three simple examples of canuler in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais un fer à friser, j’aurais pu me canuler les cheveux pour la soirée. (If I had a curling iron, I could have curled my hair for the evening.)
  2. Ils auraient dû se canuler les moustaches pour le mariage. (They should have curled their mustaches for the wedding.)
  3. Tu te serais canulé les orteils si tu avais marché pieds nus. (You would have curled your toes if you had walked barefoot.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais canulé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais canulé. I would have connected you.
tu aurais canulé Tu aurais pu être plus rapide. You would have been faster.
il aurait canulé Il aurait dû canuler hier. He should have connected yesterday.
elle aurait canulé Elle aurait pu canuler avec eux. She could have connected with them.
on aurait canulé On aurait pu canuler plus tôt. One could have connected earlier.
nous aurions canulé Nous aurions pu mieux canuler. We could have connected better.
vous auriez canulé Vous auriez dû canuler plus vite. You should have connected faster.
ils auraient canulé Ils auraient pu se connecter. They could have connected.
elles auraient canulé Elles auraient pu se connecter ensemble. They (female) could have connected together.

Other Conjugations for Canuler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb canuler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Canuler – 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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