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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb consigner

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The English translation of the French verb consigner is “to record” or “to register.” It is pronounced “kawn-seen-yay.”

The word consigner comes from the Latin word “consignare,” which means “to seal” or “to confirm.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express the idea of “would have recorded” or “would have registered.”

Example 1: Si j’avais su, j’aurais consigné ce contrat. (If I had known, I would have recorded this contract.)
Example 2: Nous aurions dû consigner nos dépenses pour mieux gérer notre budget. (We should have recorded our expenses to better manage our budget.)
Example 3: Ils auraient consigné les résultats du sondage s’ils avaient eu plus de temps. (They would have registered the survey results if they had had more time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais consigné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais consigné. I would have consigned you.
tu aurais consigné Tu aurais consigné plus tôt. You would have consigned earlier.
il aurait consigné Il aurait consigné le colis. He would have consigned the package.
elle aurait consigné Elle aurait consigné ses bagages. She would have consigned her luggage.
on aurait consigné On aurait consigné les marchandises. One would have consigned the goods.
nous aurions consigné Nous aurions consigné les documents. We would have consigned the documents.
vous auriez consigné Vous auriez consigné avec eux. You would have consigned with them.
ils auraient consigné Ils auraient consigné leurs biens. They would have consigned their belongings.
elles auraient consigné Elles auraient consigné leurs valises. They (female) would have consigned their suitcases.

Other Conjugations for Consigner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb consigner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Consigner – 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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