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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clôturer

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The English translation of the French verb clôturer is “to close” or “to fence in.” The infinitive form of clôturer is pronounced as “klo-tu-rer.”

The word clôturer comes from the Old French word “cloture,” which means “enclosure” or “fence.” It is derived from the Latin word “clausura,” meaning “closed place.”

In everyday French, clôturer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the equivalent of the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express an action that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three examples of clôturer used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Si nous avions eu le temps, nous aurions clôturé le dossier hier soir. (If we had had the time, we would have closed the file last night.)

  2. J’aurais clôturé mon compte bancaire si je n’avais pas eu de frais supplémentaires. (I would have closed my bank account if I hadn’t had any additional fees.)

  3. Tu aurais dû clôturer le jardin pour empêcher les animaux d’y entrer. (You should have closed off the garden to prevent the animals from entering.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais clôturé Si j’avais pu, j’aurais clôturé la vente. I would have closed the sale if I could.
tu aurais clôturé Tu aurais clôturé le compte. You would have closed the account.
il aurait clôturé Il aurait clôturé l’événement. He would have closed the event.
elle aurait clôturé Elle aurait clôturé ses valises. She would have closed her suitcases.
on aurait clôturé On aurait clôturé les inscriptions. One would have closed the registrations.
nous aurions clôturé Nous aurions clôturé ensemble. We would have closed together.
vous auriez clôturé Vous auriez clôturé le projet. You would have closed the project.
ils auraient clôturé Ils auraient clôturé le chantier. They would have closed the construction site.
elles auraient clôturé Elles auraient clôturé la réunion. They (female) would have closed the meeting.

Other Conjugations for Clôturer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clôturer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Clôturer – 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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