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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cheviller

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The English translation of the French verb cheviller is “to peg” or “to pin”. It is pronounced as “sheh-vee-yay” in its infinitive form.

The word “cheviller” comes from the Old French word “chevele” meaning “peg” or “stake”. It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is a compound tense used to express an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met.

Examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu des clous, j’aurais chevillé la planche. (If I had had nails, I would have pegged the board.)

  2. Nous aurions chevillé les bâches si le vent avait été plus fort. (We would have pinned down the tarps if the wind had been stronger.)

  3. Si tu avais suivi les instructions, tu n’aurais pas chevillé les étagères de travers. (If you had followed the instructions, you wouldn’t have pegged the shelves crooked.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais chevillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais chevillé. I would have nailed you.
tu aurais chevillé Tu aurais chevillé plus tôt. You would have nailed earlier.
il aurait chevillé Il aurait chevillé la porte. He would have nailed the door.
elle aurait chevillé Elle aurait chevillé sa robe. She would have nailed her dress.
on aurait chevillé On aurait chevillé toutes les planches. One would have nailed all the boards.
nous aurions chevillé Nous aurions chevillé le toit. We would have nailed the roof.
vous auriez chevillé Vous auriez chevillé avec eux. You would have nailed with them.
ils auraient chevillé Ils auraient chevillé les meubles. They would have nailed the furniture.
elles auraient chevillé Elles auraient chevillé leurs étagères. They (female) would have nailed their shelves.

Other Conjugations for Cheviller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cheviller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Cheviller – 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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