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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb circuler

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The English translation of the French verb circuler is “to circulate.” It is pronounced “seer-kew-lay.”

The language origin of circuler can be traced back to the Latin word “circulare,” meaning “to make circular.” In everyday French, it is commonly used to describe the movement of people, objects, or information from one place to another.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, circuler is often used to express hypothetical or imagined actions that would have happened in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais pris le train, je serais arrivé à temps. (If I had taken the train, I would have arrived on time.)
  2. Nous aurions circulé dans toute la ville si nous avions eu une voiture. (We would have traveled all over the city if we had a car.)
  3. Si vous aviez appris à conduire, vous auriez pu circuler librement. (If you had learned to drive, you could have moved around freely.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais circulé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais circulé. I would have circulated.
tu aurais circulé Tu aurais circulé plus tôt. You would have circulated earlier.
il aurait circulé Il aurait circulé dans la ville. He would have circulated around the city.
elle aurait circulé Elle aurait circulé à vélo. She would have cycled around.
on aurait circulé On aurait pu circuler plus facilement en voiture. One could have circulated more easily by car.
nous aurions circulé Nous aurions circulé dans le parc. We would have circulated in the park.
vous auriez circulé Vous auriez circulé en métro. You would have taken the subway.
ils auraient circulé Ils auraient circulé à pied. They would have walked around.
elles auraient circulé Elles auraient circulé en bus. They (female) would have taken the bus.

Other Conjugations for Circuler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb circuler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Circuler – 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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