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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb commérer

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The English translation of the French verb commérer is “to gossip” or “to spread rumors.” It is pronounced as “co-meh-ray.”

The word “commérer” comes from the Latin word “commorari,” which means “to linger.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to talk about possible actions or events that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions were met.

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

  1. Si tu n’avais pas commencé à commérer sur elle, elle ne t’aurait pas exclu du groupe. (If you hadn’t started gossiping about her, she wouldn’t have excluded you from the group.)

  2. Nous aurions pu être amis si tu n’avais pas cessé de commérer sur moi. (We could have been friends if you hadn’t stopped gossiping about me.)

  3. Ils auraient sûrement divorcé s’ils n’avaient pas arrêté de commérer sur leur couple. (They would probably have gotten divorced if they hadn’t stopped gossiping about their relationship.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais comméré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais comméré. I would have gossiped about you.
tu aurais comméré Tu aurais comméré plus tôt. You would have gossiped earlier.
il aurait comméré Il aurait comméré avec ses collègues. He would have gossiped with his colleagues.
elle aurait comméré Elle aurait comméré avec ses amies. She would have gossiped with her friends.
on aurait comméré On aurait comméré de tout le monde. One would have gossiped about everyone.
nous aurions comméré Nous aurions comméré sur nos voisins. We would have gossiped about our neighbors.
vous auriez comméré Vous auriez comméré avec eux. You would have gossiped with them.
ils auraient comméré Ils auraient comméré sur leur patron. They would have gossiped about their boss.
elles auraient comméré Elles auraient comméré de la vie amoureuse de leur amie. They (female) would have gossiped about their friend’s love life.

Other Conjugations for Commérer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commérer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Commérer – 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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