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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb capéer

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The English translation of the French verb capéer is “to seize” or “to capture.” It is pronounced as “kah-pey-ay” in its infinitive form.

The language origin of capéer comes from the Old French word “caper,” which means “to catch.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical or possible action that would have happened in the past.

Example 1: Si j’avais su, j’aurais capéé le voleur. (If I had known, I would have seized the thief.)
Example 2: Nous aurions capéé le cheval sauvage si nous avions eu une corde. (We would have captured the wild horse if we had had a rope.)
Example 3: Est-ce que tu aurais capéé le ballon si tu étais plus grand? (Would you have caught the ball if you were taller?)

English translations:
Example 1: If I had known, I would have seized the thief.
Example 2: We would have captured the wild horse if we had had a rope.
Example 3: Would you have caught the ball if you were taller?

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais capéé Si j’avais le temps, je t’aurais capéé. I would have captured you if I had the time.
tu aurais capéé Tu aurais capéé l’ennemi. You would have captured the enemy.
il aurait capéé Il aurait capéé la ville. He would have captured the city.
elle aurait capéé Elle aurait capéé l’oiseau. She would have captured the bird.
on aurait capéé On aurait capéé la cible. One would have captured the target.
nous aurions capéé Nous aurions capéé les pirates. We would have captured the pirates.
vous auriez capéé Vous auriez capéé avec eux. You would have captured with them.
ils auraient capéé Ils auraient capéé les prisonniers. They would have captured the prisoners.
elles auraient capéé Elles auraient capéé les criminels. They (female) would have captured the criminals.

Other Conjugations for Capéer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb capéer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Capéer – 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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