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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb combler

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The English translation of the French verb combler is “to fill” or “to satisfy.” The infinitive form of combler is pronounced as “kohm-bl(eh)r.”

The word combler comes from the Latin word “cumulare,” meaning “to pile up” or “to accumulate.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus d’argent, j’aurais comblé mes parents en leur offrant un voyage en France. (If I had had more money, I would have filled my parents’ hearts by offering them a trip to France.)

  2. Nous aurions comblé notre rêve de vivre à la campagne si nous avions trouvé la maison parfaite. (We would have fulfilled our dream of living in the countryside if we had found the perfect house.)

  3. Mes amis auraient comblé leur curiosité en visitant le musée du Louvre lors de leur séjour à Paris. (My friends would have satisfied their curiosity by visiting the Louvre Museum during their stay in Paris.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais comblé Si j’avais eu plus de temps, je t’aurais comblé. If I had more time, I would have filled your needs.
tu aurais comblé Tu aurais comblé ta femme avec des fleurs. You would have pleased your wife with flowers.
il aurait comblé Il aurait comblé le vide dans ma vie. He would have filled the emptiness in my life.
elle aurait comblé Elle aurait comblé ses désirs. She would have satisfied her desires.
on aurait comblé On aurait comblé les trous dans le mur. One would have patched the holes in the wall.
nous aurions comblé Nous aurions comblé nos invités avec de délicieux plats. We would have delighted our guests with delicious dishes.
vous auriez comblé Vous auriez comblé tous les besoins de l’entreprise. You would have fulfilled all the needs of the company.
ils auraient comblé Ils auraient comblé le manque de ressources. They would have filled the lack of resources.
elles auraient comblé Elles auraient comblé leurs attentes. They (female) would have fulfilled their expectations.

Other Conjugations for Combler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb combler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Combler – 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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