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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb coiffer

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The English translation of the French verb coiffer is “to style/to comb”. The infinitive form, coiffer, is pronounced “kwah-fay”.

Coiffer comes from the Latin word “coiffare”, meaning “to cover or dress the head”. It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the action of styling or combing one’s hair.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, coiffer would be conjugated as follows:

  • J’aurais coiffé (I would have styled/combed)
  • Tu aurais coiffé (You would have styled/combed)
  • Il/Elle aurait coiffé (He/She would have styled/combed)
  • Nous aurions coiffé (We would have styled/combed)
  • Vous auriez coiffé (You would have styled/combed)
  • Ils/Elles auraient coiffé (They would have styled/combed)

Here are three simple examples of coiffer in the Conditionnel Passé tense, along with their English translations:

1) Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais coiffé mes cheveux avant la soirée. (If I had more time, I would have styled my hair before the party.)
2) Tu aurais mieux fait de te faire coiffer par un professionnel avant ton mariage. (You would have been better off getting your hair styled by a professional before your wedding.)
3) Nous aurions coiffé les poupées ensemble pendant notre enfance. (We would have styled our dolls together during our childhood.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais coiffé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais coiffé. I would have styled your hair.
tu aurais coiffé Tu aurais coiffé plus tôt. You would have styled earlier.
il aurait coiffé Il aurait coiffé sa femme. He would have styled his wife’s hair.
elle aurait coiffé Elle aurait coiffé ses cheveux. She would have styled her hair.
on aurait coiffé On aurait coiffé nos cheveux. One would have styled our hair.
nous aurions coiffé Nous aurions coiffé en chignon. We would have styled our hair in a bun.
vous auriez coiffé Vous auriez coiffé avec parcimonie. You would have styled with care.
ils auraient coiffé Ils auraient coiffé leurs barbes. They would have styled their beards.
elles auraient coiffé Elles auraient coiffé leurs amies. They (female) would have styled their friends’ hair.

Other Conjugations for Coiffer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coiffer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Coiffer – 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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