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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cibler

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The English translation of the French verb cibler is “to target” or “to aim at”. The infinitive form is pronounced “see-blair”.

The word cibler comes from the Latin word “cybella”, which means “to aim at”. It entered French in the 15th century and was used in the context of archery, meaning “to aim at a target”. Over time, its meaning expanded to include the idea of targeting or aiming at something in a more general sense.

In everyday French, cibler is used to talk about targeting or aiming at something or someone in a precise manner. It can also be used in a figurative sense to mean focusing on a particular goal or objective.

Example 1: Si j’avais su, j’aurais ciblé mes études en journalisme.
Translation: If I had known, I would have focused my studies on journalism.

Example 2: Elle a ciblé son discours vers les jeunes électeurs.
Translation: She targeted her speech towards young voters.

Example 3: Si nous avions plus d’argent, nous aurions pu cibler un marché plus large.
Translation: If we had more money, we could have targeted a wider market.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais ciblé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais ciblé. I would have targeted you.
tu aurais ciblé Tu aurais ciblé plus tôt. You would have targeted earlier.
il aurait ciblé Il aurait ciblé son ennemi. He would have targeted his enemy.
elle aurait ciblé Elle aurait ciblé son objectif. She would have targeted her goal.
on aurait ciblé On aurait ciblé un public plus large. One would have targeted a wider audience.
nous aurions ciblé Nous aurions ciblé la bonne personne. We would have targeted the right person.
vous auriez ciblé Vous auriez ciblé avec précision. You would have targeted with precision.
ils auraient ciblé Ils auraient ciblé une entreprise concurrente. They would have targeted a competing company.
elles auraient ciblé Elles auraient ciblé leurs adversaires. They (female) would have targeted their opponents.

Other Conjugations for Cibler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cibler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Cibler – 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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