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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contrôler

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The English translation of the French verb contrôler is “to control.” It is pronounced as “kon-troh-leh” in the infinitive form.

The origin of the word contrôler can be traced back to the Latin word “contrarotulus,” meaning “to check or verify.” It entered the French language in the 17th century.

In everyday French, contrôler is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a past hypothetical action or event. This tense is often used to talk about what would have happened if certain conditions had been met in the past.

Here are 3 simple examples of contrôler used in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais contrôlé mes dépenses, je n’aurais pas dépensé tout mon argent en une soirée. (If I had controlled my expenses, I wouldn’t have spent all my money in one evening.)

  2. Elle aurait réussi son examen si elle avait contrôlé ses nerfs. (She would have passed her exam if she had controlled her nerves.)

  3. S’il avait contrôlé ses émotions, il aurait pu éviter cette dispute. (If he had controlled his emotions, he could have avoided this argument.)

English translations:

  1. If I had controlled my expenses, I wouldn’t have spent all my money in one evening.
  2. She would have passed her exam if she had controlled her nerves.
  3. If he had controlled his emotions, he could have avoided this argument.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais contrôlé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais contrôlé. I would have checked on you.
tu aurais contrôlé Tu aurais contrôlé le document. You would have reviewed the document.
il aurait contrôlé Il aurait contrôlé son travail. He would have checked his work.
elle aurait contrôlé Elle aurait contrôlé son budget. She would have monitored her budget.
on aurait contrôlé On aurait contrôlé notre consommation. One would have monitored our consumption.
nous aurions contrôlé Nous aurions contrôlé nos dépenses. We would have controlled our expenses.
vous auriez contrôlé Vous auriez contrôlé la situation. You would have monitored the situation.
ils auraient contrôlé Ils auraient contrôlé les passagers. They would have checked the passengers.
elles auraient contrôlé Elles auraient contrôlé les documents. They (female) would have reviewed the documents.

Other Conjugations for Contrôler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrôler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Contrôler – 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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