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

Introduction to the verb computer

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The English translation of the French verb “computer” is “to compute” or “to calculate.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “kom-pyoo-tey.”

The word “computer” originated from the Latin word “computare,” which means “to count, sum up, calculate.” It was first used in the English language in the mid-17th century to refer to a person who performed calculations.

In everyday French, the verb “computer” is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu un ordinateur, j’aurais pu travailler de chez moi. (If I had had a computer, I could have worked from home.)
  2. Nous aurions fini le projet plus tôt s’il n’y avait pas eu de problème avec l’ordinateur. (We would have finished the project earlier if there hadn’t been a problem with the computer.)
  3. Tu n’aurais pas perdu tes données si tu avais fait une sauvegarde sur l’ordinateur. (You wouldn’t have lost your data if you had backed it up on the computer.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais computé Si tu m’avais aidé, j’aurais computé plus vite. I would have computed faster if you had helped me.
tu aurais computé Tu aurais computé la solution. You would have computed the solution.
il aurait computé Il aurait computé les données. He would have computed the data.
elle aurait computé Elle aurait computé les chiffres. She would have computed the numbers.
on aurait computé On aurait computé ensemble. We would have computed together.
nous aurions computé Nous aurions computé des statistiques. We would have computed statistics.
vous auriez computé Vous auriez computé sur cet ordinateur. You would have computed on this computer.
ils auraient computé Ils auraient computé le programme. They would have computed the program.
elles auraient computé Elles auraient computé des équations. They (female) would have computed equations.

Other Conjugations for Computer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb computer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Computer – 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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