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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb celer

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The English translation of the French verb celer is “to hasten” or “to speed up.” It is pronounced as “se-lay,” with the emphasis on the final syllable.

The language origin of celer can be traced back to the Latin word “celer,” which means “swift” or “quick.” In everyday French, celer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the past conditional tense. This tense is used to express actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met.

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

  1. Si j’avais couru plus vite, j’aurais célé mon train. (If I had run faster, I would have caught my train.)
  2. Elle aurait pu assister à la réunion si elle avait célé sa voiture. (She could have attended the meeting if she had hurried with her car.)
  3. Nous aurions fini le projet à temps si nous avions célé notre travail. (We would have finished the project on time if we had hastened our work.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais célé Je sais que j’aurais célébré ton succès. I know I would have celebrated your success.
tu aurais célé Tu aurais célébré ton anniversaire avec tes amis. You would have celebrated your birthday with your friends.
il aurait célé Il aurait célébré sa victoire avec sa famille. He would have celebrated his victory with his family.
elle aurait célé Elle aurait célébré l’été avec un voyage. She would have celebrated summer with a trip.
on aurait célé On aurait célébré la fin de l’année avec une fête. One would have celebrated the end of the year with a party.
nous aurions célé Nous aurions célébré notre mariage à la plage. We would have celebrated our wedding on the beach.
vous auriez célé Vous auriez célébré votre promotion avec vos collègues. You would have celebrated your promotion with your colleagues.
ils auraient célé Ils auraient célébré leur anniversaire de mariage. They would have celebrated their wedding anniversary.
elles auraient célé Elles auraient célébré leur diplôme avec leur famille. They (female) would have celebrated their graduation with their family.

Other Conjugations for Celer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb celer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Celer – 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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