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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cercler

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The English translation of the French verb cercler is “to circle.” It is pronounced as “sehr-kluh.”

Cercler comes from the Old French word “cercler” which means “to encircle.” It is derived from the Latin word “circulus” which means “circle.”

In everyday French, cercler is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is formed by combining the conditional tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” with the past participle of cercler. This tense is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place in the past.

Here are three simple examples of cercler in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais vu ton message plus tôt, je t’aurais cerclé sur la carte. (If I had seen your message earlier, I would have circled you on the map.)

  2. Elle aurait cerclé toutes les erreurs si elle avait eu plus de temps. (She would have circled all the mistakes if she had more time.)

  3. Si vous étiez venus à la réunion, nous aurions cerclé les dates qui vous conviennent. (If you had come to the meeting, we would have circled the dates that work for you.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cerclé Si j’avais eu du temps, je t’aurais cerclé. I would have circled you if I had time.
tu aurais cerclé Tu aurais cerclé la réponse. You would have circled the answer.
il aurait cerclé Il aurait cerclé la carte. He would have circled the map.
elle aurait cerclé Elle aurait cerclé la photo. She would have circled the photo.
on aurait cerclé On aurait cerclé les erreurs. One would have circled the mistakes.
nous aurions cerclé Nous aurions cerclé les mots clés. We would have circled the keywords.
vous auriez cerclé Vous auriez cerclé les noms. You would have circled the names.
ils auraient cerclé Ils auraient cerclé la zone. They would have circled the area.
elles auraient cerclé Elles auraient cerclé la date. They (female) would have circled the date.

Other Conjugations for Cercler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cercler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Cercler – 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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