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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb consterner

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The English translation of the French verb consterner is to dismay or to shock. The infinitive form of consterner is pronounced as “kohn-stehr-neh”.

Consterner comes from the Latin word “consternare” which means to throw into confusion. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action in the past.

Examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais su, je t’aurais consterné avec la vérité. (If I had known, I would have shocked you with the truth.)

  2. Il aurait été consterné par la nouvelle de sa démission. (He would have been dismayed by the news of his resignation.)

  3. Nous aurions été consternés si cela s’était produit. (We would have been shocked if that had happened.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known, I would have shocked you with the truth.

  2. He would have been dismayed by the news of his resignation.

  3. We would have been shocked if that had happened.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais consterné Si j’avais entendu ça, je t’aurais consterné. If I had heard that, I would have dismayed you.
tu aurais consterné Tu aurais consterné tes parents. You would have shocked your parents.
il aurait consterné Il aurait consterné tout le monde. He would have disheartened everyone.
elle aurait consterné Elle aurait consterné ses amis. She would have dismayed her friends.
on aurait consterné On aurait consterné nos voisins. We would have stunned our neighbors.
nous aurions consterné Nous aurions consterné la société. We would have appalled society.
vous auriez consterné Vous auriez consterné vos collègues. You would have disheartened your colleagues.
ils auraient consterné Ils auraient consterné leurs ennemis. They would have dismayed their enemies.
elles auraient consterné Elles auraient consterné leurs professeurs. They (female) would have shocked their teachers.

Other Conjugations for Consterner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb consterner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Consterner – 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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