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

Introduction to the verb cohabiter

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The English translation of the French verb cohabiter is “to cohabit” or “to live together.” The infinitive form, cohabiter, is pronounced as “koh-ah-bee-tey.”

The language origin of cohabiter can be traced back to the Latin word “cohabitare,” which means “to live together.” In everyday French, cohabiter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses actions that would have happened in the past if a certain condition had been met.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si nous avions gagné à la loterie, nous aurions cohabité dans un grand manoir. (If we had won the lottery, we would have lived together in a big mansion.)

  2. Elle aurait préféré cohabiter avec ses amis plutôt que de vivre seule. (She would have rather cohabited with her friends than live alone.)

  3. Ils auraient cohabité pendant des années avant de se marier. (They would have lived together for years before getting married.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cohabité Si j’avais eu un colocataire, j’aurais cohabité. If I had a roommate, I would have cohabited.
tu aurais cohabité Tu aurais cohabité avec moi. You would have cohabited with me.
il aurait cohabité Il aurait cohabité avec son frère. He would have cohabited with his brother.
elle aurait cohabité Elle aurait cohabité avec ses amis. She would have cohabited with her friends.
on aurait cohabité On aurait cohabité avec des inconnus. One would have cohabited with strangers.
nous aurions cohabité Nous aurions cohabité dans un appartement. We would have cohabited in an apartment.
vous auriez cohabité Vous auriez cohabité avec vos voisins. You would have cohabited with your neighbors.
ils auraient cohabité Ils auraient cohabité ensemble. They would have cohabited together.
elles auraient cohabité Elles auraient cohabité en colocation. They (female) would have cohabited in a shared living arrangement.

Other Conjugations for Cohabiter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cohabiter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Cohabiter – 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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