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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb constituer

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The English translation of the French verb constituer is “to constitute” or “to establish.” It is pronounced “kɔ̃stitye”.

The word constituer comes from the Latin verb constituere, which means “to set up” or “to establish.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or possible action in the past. This tense is formed with the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Conditionnel Présent tense followed by the past participle of the verb.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais gagné la loterie, j’aurais constitué mon propre entreprise. (If I had won the lottery, I would have established my own business.)
  2. Nous serions partis en vacances si nous avions constitué assez d’argent. (We would have gone on vacation if we had saved enough money.)
  3. Vous auriez constitué une équipe de foot si vous aviez eu plus de joueurs. (You would have formed a soccer team if you had more players.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais constitué Si j’avais plus de temps, je l’aurais constitué. If I had more time, I would have constituted it.
tu aurais constitué Tu aurais constitué une nouvelle équipe. You would have formed a new team.
il aurait constitué Il aurait constitué un grand succès. He would have created a big success.
elle aurait constitué Elle aurait constitué un excellent avocat. She would have made an excellent lawyer.
on aurait constitué On aurait constitué une alliance avec eux. One would have formed an alliance with them.
nous aurions constitué Nous aurions constitué une entreprise. We would have established a company.
vous auriez constitué Vous auriez constitué un meilleur plan. You would have made a better plan.
ils auraient constitué Ils auraient constitué un comité. They would have constituted a committee.
elles auraient constitué Elles auraient constitué leur propre chemin. They (female) would have created their own path.

Other Conjugations for Constituer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb constituer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Constituer – 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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