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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clocher

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The English translation of the French verb clocher is “to limp” or “to hobble.” The infinitive form is pronounced “kloh-shay.”

The word clocher comes from the Latin word “clocca,” which means “bell.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is a compound tense used to express actions or events that would have taken place in the past under certain conditions.

  1. Si je n’avais pas glissé, je n’aurais pas cloché. (If I hadn’t slipped, I wouldn’t have limped.)
  2. Tu aurais cloché si tu avais marché trop longtemps. (You would have hobbled if you had walked too long.)
  3. Nous aurions cloché si nous avions couru sans échauffement. (We would have stumbled if we had run without warming up.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cloché Si j’étais parti plus tôt, j’aurais cloché. If I had left earlier, I would have gone wrong.
tu aurais cloché Tu aurais cloché à cette question. You would have stumbled on that question.
il aurait cloché Il aurait cloché en faisant les calculs. He would have made a mistake while doing the calculations.
elle aurait cloché Elle aurait cloché dans son discours. She would have made a mistake in her speech.
on aurait cloché On aurait cloché si on avait continué sur cette route. We would have gone wrong if we had kept going on this road.
nous aurions cloché Nous aurions cloché si nous avions choisi cette option. We would have made a mistake if we had chosen this option.
vous auriez cloché Vous auriez cloché en prenant cette décision. You would have made a mistake by making this decision.
ils auraient cloché Ils auraient cloché en ne suivant pas les instructions. They would have gone wrong by not following the instructions.
elles auraient cloché Elles auraient cloché en donnant de mauvais conseils. They (female) would have made a mistake by giving bad advice.

Other Conjugations for Clocher.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clocher
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Clocher – 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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