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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb claquer

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The English translation of the French verb claquer is “to clap” or “to slam”. It is pronounced “klah-kay”.

The origin of the word can be traced back to the Latin verb “clāngere” meaning “to resound” or “to ring”. In French, it originally meant “to make a loud noise” or “to clap one’s hands”. Over time, it has taken on additional meanings such as “to slam” or “to hit”.

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense is used to express actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met. It is formed with the conditional tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

Examples of claquer in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si tu avais claqué la porte plus fort, il t’aurait entendu. (If you had slammed the door harder, he would have heard you.)
  2. Ils auraient applaudi si tu avais claqué des doigts. (They would have applauded if you had clapped your fingers.)
  3. Si elle avait claqué sa raquette, elle aurait perdu le match. (If she had slammed her racket, she would have lost the game.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais claqué Si j’avais su, je t’aurais claqué. I would have slammed the door on you.
tu aurais claqué Tu aurais claqué la porte. You would have slammed the door.
il aurait claqué Il aurait claqué des doigts. He would have snapped his fingers.
elle aurait claqué Elle aurait claqué la fenêtre. She would have slammed the window.
on aurait claqué On aurait claqué beaucoup d’argent. One would have spent a lot of money.
nous aurions claqué Nous aurions claqué l’argent. We would have spent the money.
vous auriez claqué Vous auriez claqué des mains. You would have clapped your hands.
ils auraient claqué Ils auraient claqué des portes. They would have slammed doors.
elles auraient claqué Elles auraient claqué des mains. They (female) would have clapped their hands.

Other Conjugations for Claquer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb claquer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Claquer – 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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