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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb catcher

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The English translation of the French verb catcher is “to catch.” The infinitive form of catcher is pronounced “ka-shay.”

The language origin of catcher comes from the Old French word “cachier,” meaning “to seize, capture.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express actions that would have taken place in the past under certain conditions.

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

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais catcher le ballon. (If I had known, I would have caught the ball.)
  2. Tu aurais pu catcher le poisson si tu avais un filet. (You could have caught the fish if you had a net.)
  3. Nous aurions catcher plus de clients si nous avions fait une meilleure publicité. (We would have caught more clients if we had done better advertising.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais attrapé J’aurais attrapé le ballon. I would have caught the ball.
tu aurais attrapé Tu aurais attrapé le chat. You would have caught the cat.
il aurait attrapé Il aurait attrapé le voleur. He would have caught the thief.
elle aurait attrapé Elle aurait attrapé le poisson. She would have caught the fish.
on aurait attrapé On aurait attrapé le train. One would have caught the train.
nous aurions attrapé Nous aurions attrapé le virus. We would have caught the virus.
vous auriez attrapé Vous auriez attrapé la balle. You would have caught the ball.
ils auraient attrapé Ils auraient attrapé le voleur. They would have caught the thief.
elles auraient attrapé Elles auraient attrapé le ballon. They (female) would have caught the ball.

Other Conjugations for Catcher.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb catcher
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Catcher – 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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