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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb colmater

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The English translation of the French verb colmater is “to plug, to seal, to patch up.” It is pronounced “kohl-mah-tay” in its infinitive form.

The word colmater comes from the Latin word “colmare,” meaning “to fill, to complete.” It entered the French language in the 15th century and has been used to refer to the act of sealing or repairing something, usually related to a hole or leak.

In everyday French, colmater is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical action that would have happened in the past. This tense is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of colmater.

Here are three examples of colmater in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. J’aurais colmaté la fuite si j’avais eu les outils nécessaires. (I would have plugged the leak if I had had the necessary tools.)
  2. Tu aurais dû colmater les trous dans le toit avant qu’il ne commence à pleuvoir. (You should have patched up the holes in the roof before it started raining.)
  3. Ils seraient venus nous aider à colmater les fissures dans le mur si on leur avait demandé. (They would have come to help us seal the cracks in the wall if we had asked them.)

In all of these examples, the use of colmater in the Conditionnel Passé tense indicates a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past. It is often used in situations where someone could have or should have taken action to prevent a problem from occurring.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais colmaté Si j’avais su, je l’aurais colmaté. I would have patched it if I had known.
tu aurais colmaté Tu aurais colmaté la fuite. You would have fixed the leak.
il aurait colmaté Il aurait colmaté le trou. He would have sealed the hole.
elle aurait colmaté Elle aurait colmaté le navire. She would have patched the ship.
on aurait colmaté On aurait colmaté les fissures. One would have sealed the cracks.
nous aurions colmaté Nous aurions colmaté le toit. We would have patched the roof.
vous auriez colmaté Vous auriez colmaté le mur. You would have repaired the wall.
ils auraient colmaté Ils auraient colmaté le tuyau. They would have patched the pipe.
elles auraient colmaté Elles auraient colmaté le pneu. They (female) would have fixed the tire.

Other Conjugations for Colmater.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colmater
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Colmater – 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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