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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cartonner

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The English translation of the French verb cartonner is “to be a hit” or “to be successful.” It is pronounced “kar-ton-ay.”

The word cartonner comes from the French word “carton,” which means “cardboard.” This verb is derived from the noun because, in the figurative sense, when something is a “cartonner,” it is so successful that it could be packaged and sold like a cardboard box.

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have taken place in the past. It is often used to talk about regrets or things that could have happened differently. Cartonner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express that something could have been a hit or successful in the past.

Here are 3 simple examples of using cartonner in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais écouté mon instinct, mon premier film aurait cartonné au box-office. (If I had listened to my instinct, my first movie would have been a hit at the box office.)

  2. Tu aurais dû venir à la fête hier soir, c’était génial ! On a vraiment cartonné ! (You should have come to the party last night, it was amazing! We really hit it off!)

  3. Si nous avions travaillé ensemble, notre entreprise aurait cartonné dans le marché du luxe. (If we had worked together, our company would have been a hit in the luxury market.)

  4. If I had listened to my instinct, my first movie would have been a hit at the box office.

  5. You should have come to the party last night, it was amazing! We really hit it off!

  6. If we had worked together, our company would have been a hit in the luxury market.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cartonné Si j’avais étudié plus, j’aurais cartonné. I would have aced it if I had studied more.
tu aurais cartonné Tu aurais cartonné avec tes amis. You would have been a hit with your friends.
il aurait cartonné Il aurait cartonné au concert. He would have killed it at the concert.
elle aurait cartonné Elle aurait cartonné sur scène. She would have killed it on stage.
on aurait cartonné On aurait cartonné au travail cette semaine. We would have excelled at work this week.
nous aurions cartonné Nous aurions cartonné tous les jours. We would have killed it every day.
vous auriez cartonné Vous auriez cartonné au test. You would have aced the test.
ils auraient cartonné Ils auraient cartonné sur le terrain. They would have dominated on the field.
elles auraient cartonné Elles auraient cartonné au match. They (female) would have killed it at the game.

Other Conjugations for Cartonner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cartonner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Cartonner – 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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