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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chapitrer

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The English translation of chapitrer is “to scold” or “to reprimand.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “sha-pee-tray.”

The word chapitrer comes from the Latin word “capitulum,” meaning chapter, and was originally used in a religious context to refer to the act of reading a chapter from a religious text. Over time, the meaning shifted to the current usage of scolding or reprimanding.

In everyday French, chapitrer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or imagined past action or consequence of a condition. It is often used in a formal or parental context to express disapproval or disappointment.

  1. Si j’avais su que tu allais échouer à ton examen, je t’aurais chapitré avant. (If I had known that you were going to fail your exam, I would have scolded you beforehand.)

  2. Elle aurait été chapitrée par ses parents si elle avait osé sortir avec ce garçon. (She would have been scolded by her parents if she had dared to go out with that boy.)

  3. Nous aurions dû chapitrer les enfants pour leur mauvais comportement lors de la fête. (We should have reprimanded the children for their bad behavior during the party.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais chapitré Si j’avais eu le temps, je t’aurais chapitré. If I had had the time, I would have scolded you.
tu aurais chapitré Tu aurais chapitré les élèves. You would have scolded the students.
il aurait chapitré Il aurait chapitré son fils. He would have scolded his son.
elle aurait chapitré Elle aurait chapitré ses employés. She would have scolded her employees.
on aurait chapitré On aurait chapitré les mauvais comportements. One would have scolded the bad behaviors.
nous aurions chapitré Nous aurions chapitré nos enfants. We would have scolded our children.
vous auriez chapitré Vous auriez chapitré les fautes. You would have scolded the mistakes.
ils auraient chapitré Ils auraient chapitré les étudiants. They would have scolded the students.
elles auraient chapitré Elles auraient chapitré les employées. They (female) would have scolded the employees.

Other Conjugations for Chapitrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chapitrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Chapitrer – 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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