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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ciller

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The English translation of the French verb ciller is “to blink.” It is pronounced as “see-yay.”

The origin of the word ciller can be traced back to the Latin word “cilium” which means “eyelid.” In everyday French, ciller is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Some examples of using ciller in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais vu cette araignée, je n’aurais pas cillé. (If I had seen that spider, I would not have blinked.)

  2. Elle aurait cillé si elle avait su que le film était d’horreur. (She would have blinked if she had known the movie was a horror film.)

  3. Si tu avais été plus rapide, tu aurais cillé avant que le flash ne te prenne en photo. (If you had been faster, you would have blinked before the flash took your picture.)

In all of these examples, the verb ciller is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical action that would have occurred in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cillé Si j’avais eu du vent, j’aurais cillé. If I had had some wind, I would have blinked.
tu aurais cillé Tu aurais cillé si tu avais vu ça. You would have blinked if you had seen that.
il aurait cillé Il aurait cillé face au soleil. He would have blinked in the face of the sun.
elle aurait cillé Elle aurait cillé en entendant la blague. She would have blinked while hearing the joke.
on aurait cillé On aurait cillé devant ce spectacle. One would have blinked at this show.
nous aurions cillé Nous aurions cillé pour prendre une photo. We would have blinked to take a photo.
vous auriez cillé Vous auriez cillé en voyant l’illusion. You would have blinked while seeing the illusion.
ils auraient cillé Ils auraient cillé en voyant le film. They would have blinked while watching the movie.
elles auraient cillé Elles auraient cillé en entendant la nouvelle. They (female) would have blinked while hearing the news.

Other Conjugations for Ciller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ciller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Ciller – 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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