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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cisailler

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of cisailler. 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 cisailler is “to shear” or “to trim.” It is pronounced “see-zay-yay” in its infinitive form.

The word cisailler comes from the Old French word “cisaille,” which means “shears” or “scissors.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the Conditionnel Présent tense and adding the past participle of the main verb.

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

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais cisaillé mes cheveux avant la soirée. (If I had known, I would have trimmed my hair before the party.)

  2. Nous aurions cisaillé les haies si nous avions eu plus de temps. (We would have sheared the hedges if we had more time.)

  3. Tu aurais cisaillé les branches mortes de l’arbre si tu avais eu un sécateur. (You would have pruned the dead branches of the tree if you had had pruning shears.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cisaillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais cisaillé. I would have snipped you.
tu aurais cisaillé Tu aurais cisaillé plus tôt. You would have snipped earlier.
il aurait cisaillé Il aurait cisaillé sa chemise. He would have cut his shirt.
elle aurait cisaillé Elle aurait cisaillé ses cheveux. She would have trimmed her hair.
on aurait cisaillé On aurait cisaillé les haies. One would have trimmed the hedges.
nous aurions cisaillé Nous aurions cisaillé les branches. We would have pruned the branches.
vous auriez cisaillé Vous auriez cisaillé avec précision. You would have cut precisely.
ils auraient cisaillé Ils auraient cisaillé les tissus. They would have cut the fabrics.
elles auraient cisaillé Elles auraient cisaillé les fleurs. They (female) would have trimmed the flowers.

Other Conjugations for Cisailler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cisailler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the cisailler Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Cisailler – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb cisailler. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply