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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cosser

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The English translation of the French verb cosser is “to fuss/to bother.” It is pronounced as “koh-seh.”

Cosser comes from the Old French word “coser” meaning “to sew” and evolved to mean “to fuss/to bother” in modern French. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal past action.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su que ça te cosserait autant, je ne t’aurais pas demandé de m’aider. (If I had known it would bother you so much, I wouldn’t have asked you to help me.)
  2. Elle aurait été plus calme si tu ne l’avais pas tant cosser avec tes questions. (She would have been calmer if you hadn’t bothered her so much with your questions.)
  3. Nous aurions gagné du temps si tu n’avais pas cosser avec ton téléphone toute la journée. (We would have saved time if you hadn’t fussed with your phone all day.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known it would bother you so much, I wouldn’t have asked you to help me.
  2. She would have been calmer if you hadn’t bothered her so much with your questions.
  3. We would have saved time if you hadn’t fussed with your phone all day.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais coassé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais coassé. I would have croaked to you.
tu aurais coassé Tu aurais coassé plus tôt. You would have croaked earlier.
il aurait coassé Il aurait coassé toute la nuit. He would have croaked all night.
elle aurait coassé Elle aurait coassé avec les grenouilles. She would have croaked with the frogs.
on aurait coassé On aurait coassé toute la soirée. One would have croaked all evening.
nous aurions coassé Nous aurions coassé toute la journée. We would have croaked all day.
vous auriez coassé Vous auriez coassé avec eux. You would have croaked with them.
ils auraient coassé Ils auraient coassé pendant des heures. They would have croaked for hours.
elles auraient coassé Elles auraient coassé ensemble. They (female) would have croaked together.

Other Conjugations for Cosser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cosser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Cosser – 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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