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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb constiper

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of constiper. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb constiper is “to constipate.” It is pronounced as “kohn-stee-pay” in the infinitive form.

The verb constiper comes from the Latin word “constipare,” meaning “to press together, compress.” In everyday French, it is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to talk about a past hypothetical situation that did not happen.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais mangé trop de fromage, je me serais constipé. (If I had eaten too much cheese, I would have constipated myself.)
  2. Nous aurions dû boire plus d’eau, sinon nous nous serions constipés. (We should have drunk more water, otherwise we would have constipated ourselves.)
  3. Tu te serais constipé si tu avais mangé autant de viande? (Would you have constipated yourself if you had eaten that much meat?)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais constipé Si j’avais mangé trop de fromage, je me serais constipé. If I had eaten too much cheese, I would have been constipated.
tu te serais constipé Tu te serais constipé si tu avais pris ces médicaments. You would have been constipated if you had taken those medications.
il se serait constipé Il se serait constipé s’il avait mangé des aliments épicés. He would have been constipated if he had eaten spicy foods.
elle se serait constipée Elle se serait constipée si elle n’avait pas bu assez d’eau. She would have been constipated if she hadn’t drank enough water.
on se serait constipé On se serait constipé si on avait mangé trop de fibres. One would have been constipated if they had eaten too much fiber.
nous nous serions constipés Nous nous serions constipés si nous avions mangé trop de viande. We would have been constipated if we had eaten too much meat.
vous vous seriez constipés Vous vous seriez constipés si vous aviez mangé ces aliments. You would have been constipated if you had eaten these foods.
ils se seraient constipés Ils se seraient constipés s’ils avaient mangé trop de sucre. They would have been constipated if they had eaten too much sugar.
elles se seraient constipées Elles se seraient constipées si elles n’avaient pas pris de laxatifs. They (female) would have been constipated if they hadn’t taken laxatives.

Other Conjugations for Constiper.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb constiper
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Constiper – 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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