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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb caresser

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The English translation of the French verb caresser is “to caress.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “kah-ress-ay.”

Caresser comes from the Old French word “caresse,” which means “caress” or “endearment.” It can also be traced back to the Latin word “carus,” meaning “dear” or “beloved.”

In everyday French, caresser is most often used in the Conditional Perfect tense (Conditionnel Passé) to express a possible action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of caresser in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais vu le chien, je l’aurais caressé. (If I had seen the dog, I would have caressed it.)
  2. Elle lui aurait caressé les cheveux si elle l’avait vu. (She would have caressed his hair if she had seen him.)
  3. Nous l’aurions caressé si nous avions su qu’il était blessé. (We would have caressed him if we had known he was injured.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais caressé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais caressé. I would have caressed you.
tu aurais caressé Tu aurais caressé le chat. You would have pet the cat.
il aurait caressé Il aurait caressé sa femme. He would have caressed his wife.
elle aurait caressé Elle aurait caressé son bébé. She would have caressed her baby.
on aurait caressé On aurait caressé les chiens. One would have pet the dogs.
nous aurions caressé Nous aurions caressé les chevaux. We would have pet the horses.
vous auriez caressé Vous auriez caressé vos amis. You would have caressed your friends.
ils auraient caressé Ils auraient caressé les animaux. They would have pet the animals.
elles auraient caressé Elles auraient caressé leurs chats. They (female) would have pet their cats.

Other Conjugations for Caresser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb caresser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Caresser – 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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