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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb congeler

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The English translation of congeler is “to freeze.” It is pronounced “kohn-zhel-ay” in the infinitive form.

Congeler comes from the French word “geler,” meaning “to freeze,” and the prefix “con,” which indicates a completed or intensified action. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or unrealized action in the past.

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

  1. Si j’avais mis les fruits au congélateur, ils ne se seraient pas gâtés. (If I had put the fruits in the freezer, they wouldn’t have spoiled.)
  2. Elle aurait congélé le repas si elle avait eu plus de temps. (She would have frozen the meal if she had had more time.)
  3. Nous aurions congélé la viande si le frigo avait été en panne. (We would have frozen the meat if the fridge had broken down.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais congelé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais congelé. I would have frozen you.
tu aurais congelé Tu aurais congelé la viande. You would have frozen the meat.
il aurait congelé Il aurait congelé les légumes. He would have frozen the vegetables.
elle aurait congelé Elle aurait congelé le gâteau. She would have frozen the cake.
on aurait congelé On aurait congelé l’eau. One would have frozen the water.
nous aurions congelé Nous aurions congelé les fruits. We would have frozen the fruits.
vous auriez congelé Vous auriez congelé la glace. You would have frozen the ice cream.
ils auraient congelé Ils auraient congelé les poissons. They would have frozen the fish.
elles auraient congelé Elles auraient congelé les pâtisseries. They (female) would have frozen the pastries.

Other Conjugations for Congeler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb congeler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Congeler – 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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