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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb consulter

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English translation: The English translation of consulter is “to consult.” It is pronounced “kawn-soo-lteh.”

Language origin: Consulter comes from the Old French verb “consulter,” which comes from the Latin word “consultare,” meaning “to deliberate, consider, consult.”

Usage in Conditionnel Passé tense: In everyday French, consulter is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses actions that would have happened in the past under different circumstances. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of consulter.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais consulté un médecin. (If I had known, I would have consulted a doctor.)
  2. Nous aurions consulté un avocat avant de signer le contrat. (We would have consulted a lawyer before signing the contract.)
  3. Tu serais venu me consulter si tu avais eu des doutes. (You would have come to consult me if you had doubts.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known, I would have consulted a doctor.
  2. We would have consulted a lawyer before signing the contract.
  3. You would have come to consult me if you had any doubts.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais consulté Si j’avais eu le temps, je t’aurais consulté. If I had had the time, I would have consulted you.
tu aurais consulté Tu aurais consulté le médecin. You would have consulted the doctor.
il aurait consulté Il aurait consulté son avocat. He would have consulted his lawyer.
elle aurait consulté Elle aurait consulté ses amis. She would have consulted her friends.
on aurait consulté On aurait consulté un guide. One would have consulted a guide.
nous aurions consulté Nous aurions consulté plusieurs sources. We would have consulted multiple sources.
vous auriez consulté Vous auriez consulté un spécialiste. You would have consulted a specialist.
ils auraient consulté Ils auraient consulté un psychologue. They would have consulted a psychologist.
elles auraient consulté Elles auraient consulté un conseiller. They (female) would have consulted a counselor.

Other Conjugations for Consulter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb consulter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Consulter – 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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