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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb caqueter

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The English translation of the French verb caqueter is “to cackle” or “to chatter”. The infinitive form is pronounced “ka-keh-tey”.

Caqueter comes from the Old French word “caquet”, which means “cackling” or “chattering”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is a compound tense formed by using the conditional of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

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

  1. Si les poules avaient eu plus de liberté, elles auraient caqueté toute la journée. (If the hens had had more freedom, they would have cackled all day.)

  2. J’aurais aimé entendre les enfants caqueter pendant la fête. (I would have liked to hear the children chatter during the party.)

  3. Vous seriez restés silencieux si vous aviez entendu nos voisins caqueter toute la nuit. (You would have stayed quiet if you had heard our neighbors cackling all night long.)

These examples show the use of caqueter in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais caqueté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais caqueté. I would have chattered to you.
tu aurais caqueté Tu aurais caqueté plus tôt. You would have chattered earlier.
il aurait caqueté Il aurait caqueté avec ses amis. He would have chattered with his friends.
elle aurait caqueté Elle aurait caqueté sur le téléphone. She would have chattered on the phone.
on aurait caqueté On aurait caqueté toute la nuit. One would have chattered all night long.
nous aurions caqueté Nous aurions caqueté à la plage. We would have chattered at the beach.
vous auriez caqueté Vous auriez caqueté avec eux. You would have chattered with them.
ils auraient caqueté Ils auraient caqueté à propos du voyage. They would have chattered about the trip.
elles auraient caqueté Elles auraient caqueté de tout et de rien. They (female) would have chattered about everything and nothing.

Other Conjugations for Caqueter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb caqueter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Caqueter – 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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