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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb célébrer

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of célébrer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb célébrer is “to celebrate.” It is pronounced as “say-leh-bray.”

The language origin of célébrer can be traced back to the Latin word “celebrare,” which means “to honor” or “to solemnize.” In everyday French, célébrer is commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a past action that would have happened under certain conditions.

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

  1. Si j’avais gagné le match, j’aurais célébré ma victoire avec mes amis. (If I had won the game, I would have celebrated my victory with my friends.)
  2. Ils auraient célébré leur anniversaire de mariage s’ils n’avaient pas dû travailler ce jour-là. (They would have celebrated their wedding anniversary if they hadn’t had to work that day.)
  3. Nous aurions célébré Noël en famille si ma sœur n’avait pas été malade. (We would have celebrated Christmas with our family if my sister hadn’t been sick.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais célébré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais célébré. I would have celebrated you.
tu aurais célébré Tu aurais célébré plus tôt. You would have celebrated earlier.
il aurait célébré Il aurait célébré son anniversaire. He would have celebrated his birthday.
elle aurait célébré Elle aurait célébré sa réussite. She would have celebrated her success.
on aurait célébré On aurait célébré la victoire. One would have celebrated the victory.
nous aurions célébré Nous aurions célébré en famille. We would have celebrated with family.
vous auriez célébré Vous auriez célébré avec nous. You would have celebrated with us.
ils auraient célébré Ils auraient célébré leur mariage. They would have celebrated their wedding.
elles auraient célébré Elles auraient célébré leur amitié. They (female) would have celebrated their friendship.

Other Conjugations for Célébrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb célébrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the célébrer Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Célébrer – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb célébrer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts