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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contrister

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The English translation of the French verb contrister is “to sadden” or “to grieve.” It is pronounced as “kohn-tree-stay” in the infinitive form.

Contrister comes from the Latin word “contristare,” which means “to make sad” or “to grieve.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been used in everyday language since then.

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense is used to express a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past. Contrister is often used in this tense to talk about things that could have caused sadness or grief in the past.

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

  1. Si j’avais perdu mon chien, cela m’aurait contristé. (If I had lost my dog, it would have saddened me.)
  2. Ils se seraient contristés s’ils avaient manqué le mariage de leur ami proche. (They would have been saddened if they had missed their close friend’s wedding.)
  3. Elle aurait été contristée si elle n’avait pas été invitée à la fête. (She would have been saddened if she had not been invited to the party.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais contristé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais contristé. I would have saddened you.
tu aurais contristé Tu aurais contristé plus tôt. You would have saddened earlier.
il aurait contristé Il aurait contristé sa mère. He would have saddened his mother.
elle aurait contristé Elle aurait contristé ses amis. She would have saddened her friends.
on aurait contristé On aurait contristé tout le monde. One would have saddened everyone.
nous aurions contristé Nous aurions contristé en silence. We would have saddened in silence.
vous auriez contristé Vous auriez contristé toutes les personnes. You would have saddened all the people.
ils auraient contristé Ils auraient contristé leur famille. They would have saddened their family.
elles auraient contristé Elles auraient contristé leur entourage. They (female) would have saddened their loved ones.

Other Conjugations for Contrister.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrister
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Contrister – 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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