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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cogiter

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The English translation of the French verb cogiter is “to think deeply” or “to ponder.” It is pronounced as “koh-zhee-teh.”

Cogiter comes from the Latin verb “cogitare,” which means “to think” or “to consider.” It entered the French language in the 16th century. In everyday French, cogiter is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express an action that would have been thought about or pondered in the past. It is also used to express a hypothetical situation or a future possibility.

Here are three examples of cogiter used in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais cogité sur cette décision plus longtemps. (If I had known, I would have thought deeply about this decision for longer.)
  2. Nous aurions pu éviter cette erreur si nous avions cogité plus tôt. (We could have avoided this mistake if we had thought deeply about it earlier.)
  3. Si tu avais accepté mon conseil, tu n’aurais pas eu à cogiter autant. (If you had taken my advice, you wouldn’t have had to think so much.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cogité Si j’avais su, j’aurais cogité. I would have thought about it.
tu aurais cogité Tu aurais cogité plus tôt. You would have thought about it earlier.
il aurait cogité Il aurait bien cogité. He would have thought about it well.
elle aurait cogité Elle aurait cogité toute la nuit. She would have thought about it all night.
on aurait cogité On aurait cogité à cette idée. One would have thought about that idea.
nous aurions cogité Nous aurions cogité avant d’agir. We would have thought before acting.
vous auriez cogité Vous auriez cogité ensemble. You would have thought together.
ils auraient cogité Ils auraient cogité un bon moment. They would have thought for a while.
elles auraient cogité Elles auraient cogité en silence. They (female) would have thought in silence.

Other Conjugations for Cogiter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cogiter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Cogiter – 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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