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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb compléter

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The English translation of the French verb compléter is “to complete.” It is pronounced “kom-pleh-teh.”

The word compléter comes from the Latin word “completare,” meaning “to fill up, complete.” It entered the French language in the 15th century.

In everyday French, compléter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Examples:

  1. Si vous aviez travaillé plus dur, vous auriez complété le projet à temps. (If you had worked harder, you would have completed the project on time.)
  2. J’aurais complété mon diplôme d’études secondaires si j’avais continué mes études. (I would have completed my high school diploma if I had continued my studies.)
  3. Nous aurions complété notre collection de timbres si nous n’avions pas perdu notre album. (We would have completed our stamp collection if we hadn’t lost our album.)

English translations:

  1. If you had worked harder, you would have completed the project on time.
  2. I would have completed my high school diploma if I had continued my studies.
  3. We would have completed our stamp collection if we hadn’t lost our album.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais complété Si j’avais plus de temps, j’aurais complété le projet. If I had more time, I would have completed the project.
tu aurais complété Tu aurais complété ta tâche plus rapidement. You would have completed your task more quickly.
il aurait complété Il aurait complété sa formation. He would have completed his training.
elle aurait complété Elle aurait complété le tableau. She would have completed the painting.
on aurait complété On aurait complété cette étape ensemble. We would have completed this step together.
nous aurions complété Nous aurions complété l’exercice correctement. We would have completed the exercise correctly.
vous auriez complété Vous auriez complété les documents requis. You would have completed the required documents.
ils auraient complété Ils auraient complété le projet à temps. They would have completed the project on time.
elles auraient complété Elles auraient complété leur objectif. They (female) would have completed their goal.

Other Conjugations for Compléter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb compléter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Compléter – 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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