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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb coller

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The English translation of the French verb coller is “to stick” or “to glue.” It is pronounced as “ko-leh” in the infinitive form.

The word coller comes from the Latin word “colligere” meaning “to collect” or “to gather.” It entered the French language in the 13th century and has evolved over time to take on its current meaning. In everyday French, coller is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three examples of coller being used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais suivi mes instincts, j’aurais collé les morceaux du puzzle ensemble. (If I had followed my instincts, I would have stuck the puzzle pieces together.)
  2. Tu aurais mieux fait de coller tes oreilles aux cours de français. (You should have stuck your ears to the French classes.)
  3. S’il avait bien préparé son exposé, il aurait collé ses auditeurs au siège pendant toute la présentation. (If he had prepared his presentation well, he would have glued his listeners to their seats during the whole presentation.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais collé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais collé. I would have stuck you.
tu aurais collé Tu aurais collé une affiche. You would have stuck up a poster.
il aurait collé Il aurait collé un timbre. He would have stuck a stamp.
elle aurait collé Elle aurait collé une photo. She would have stuck a photo.
on aurait collé On aurait collé les morceaux. One would have stuck the pieces together.
nous aurions collé Nous aurions collé le papier. We would have stuck the paper.
vous auriez collé Vous auriez collé ensemble. You would have stuck together.
ils auraient collé Ils auraient collé le poster. They would have stuck the poster.
elles auraient collé Elles auraient collé les affiches. They (female) would have stuck up the posters.

Other Conjugations for Coller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Coller – 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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