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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chiper

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of chiper. 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 chiper is “to steal” or “to filch.” It is pronounced “shee-pay” in its infinitive form.

The word chiper comes from the Latin word “cipere” which means “to take” or “to seize.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Three examples of chiper in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations are:

  1. Si j’avais su que c’était toi, j’aurais chippé ton sac. (If I had known it was you, I would have stolen your bag.)
  2. Tu aurais mieux fait de ne pas chiper ces bonbons. (You would have been better off not stealing those candies.)
  3. Nous l’aurions chippé si elle ne nous avait pas vu. (We would have stolen it if she hadn’t seen us.)

In all of these examples, chiper is used to talk about a hypothetical past action that did not actually occur. It is often used in a joking or light-hearted manner, especially when talking about minor thefts or mischievous actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais chipé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais chipé. I would have stolen from you.
tu aurais chipé Tu aurais chipé plus tôt. You would have stolen earlier.
il aurait chipé Il aurait chipé un bonbon. He would have stolen a candy.
elle aurait chipé Elle aurait chipé dans le magasin. She would have stolen from the store.
on aurait chipé On aurait chipé de l’argent. One would have stolen money.
nous aurions chipé Nous aurions chipé des bijoux. We would have stolen jewelry.
vous auriez chipé Vous auriez chipé des fruits. You would have stolen fruits.
ils auraient chipé Ils auraient chipé des vélos. They would have stolen bikes.
elles auraient chipé Elles auraient chipé des vêtements. They (female) would have stolen clothes.

Other Conjugations for Chiper.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chiper
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Chiper – 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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