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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb coïter

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The English translation of the French verb coïter is “to copulate” or “to have sexual intercourse.” It is pronounced as “ko-ee-tay.”

Coïter comes from the Latin word “coitare,” meaning “to unite.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to talk about actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met.

Some examples of the usage of coïter in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si je n’avais pas eu peur, j’aurais coïté avec lui. (If I hadn’t been afraid, I would have had sexual intercourse with him.)
  2. Elle m’aurait coïté si je lui avais demandé. (She would have had sexual intercourse with me if I had asked her.)
  3. Nous aurions coïté toute la nuit si nous n’avions pas été dérangés. (We would have had sexual intercourse all night if we hadn’t been interrupted.)

In each of these examples, the verb coïter is conjugated in the Conditionnel Passé tense and is used to talk about a hypothetical or imagined past action.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais coïté Si j’avais su, je l’aurais coïté. I would have copulated with him/her.
tu aurais coïté Tu aurais coïté plus tôt. You would have copulated earlier.
il aurait coïté Il aurait coïté avec sa copine. He would have copulated with his girlfriend.
elle aurait coïté Elle aurait coïté avec son amoureux. She would have copulated with her lover.
on aurait coïté On aurait coïté sous les étoiles. One would have copulated under the stars.
nous aurions coïté Nous aurions coïté ensemble. We would have copulated together.
vous auriez coïté Vous auriez coïté avec passion. You would have copulated with passion.
ils auraient coïté Ils auraient coïté toute la nuit. They would have copulated all night.
elles auraient coïté Elles auraient coïté avec leurs partenaires. They (female) would have copulated with their partners.

Other Conjugations for Coïter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coïter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Coïter – 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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