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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb collecter

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The English translation of the French verb collecter is “to collect.” The infinitive form, collecter, is pronounced as “ko-lek-te.”

The language origin of collecter can be traced back to the Latin word “collectus,” meaning to gather or bring together. In modern day French, collecter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to express actions that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

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

  1. Si j’avais suivi ton conseil, j’aurais collecté plus de fonds pour l’association. (If I had followed your advice, I would have collected more funds for the association.)
  2. Ils auraient collecté davantage de données s’ils avaient utilisé une méthodologie différente. (They would have collected more data if they had used a different methodology.)
  3. Nous aurions collecté toutes les pièces de la collection si nous avions eu plus de temps. (We would have collected all the pieces of the collection if we had had more time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais collecté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais collecté. I would have collected from you.
tu aurais collecté Tu aurais collecté plus tôt. You would have collected earlier.
il aurait collecté Il aurait collecté des fonds. He would have collected funds.
elle aurait collecté Elle aurait collecté des dons. She would have collected donations.
on aurait collecté On aurait collecté tous les objets. One would have collected all the objects.
nous aurions collecté Nous aurions collecté de l’argent. We would have collected money.
vous auriez collecté Vous auriez collecté pour eux. You would have collected for them.
ils auraient collecté Ils auraient collecté des livres. They would have collected books.
elles auraient collecté Elles auraient collecté des vêtements. They (female) would have collected clothes.

Other Conjugations for Collecter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb collecter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Collecter – 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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