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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb coter

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The English translation of the French verb coter is “to cost.” The infinitive form, coter, is pronounced as “koh-tay.”

The origin of the word coter can be traced back to the Latin word “coctus,” which means “to cook” or “to prepare.” Over time, the meaning of the word shifted to refer to the cost of something.

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense is used to express an action or event that would have happened in the past under certain conditions. It is formed by using the conditional tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of the main verb.

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

  1. Si j’avais eu plus d’argent, j’aurais pu m’acheter ce sac qui coûtait si cher. (If I had had more money, I could have bought this bag that cost so much.)
  2. Tu aurais dû venir avec nous, ça t’aurait coûté moins cher en billets de train. (You should have come with us, it would have cost you less in train tickets.)
  3. Il aurait été plus judicieux d’attendre les soldes pour acheter ce manteau, ça t’aurait coûté moins cher. (It would have been wiser to wait for the sales to buy this coat, it would have cost you less.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais coté Si j’avais plus d’argent, j’aurais coté plus. If I had more money, I would have bet more.
tu aurais coté Tu aurais coté sur le mauvais cheval. You would have bet on the wrong horse.
il aurait coté Il aurait coté sur l’équipe gagnante. He would have bet on the winning team.
elle aurait coté Elle aurait coté sur le rouge. She would have bet on red.
on aurait coté On aurait coté sur le match. One would have bet on the game.
nous aurions coté Nous aurions coté plus tôt. We would have bet earlier.
vous auriez coté Vous auriez coté avec prudence. You would have bet cautiously.
ils auraient coté Ils auraient coté sur leur équipe favorite. They would have bet on their favorite team.
elles auraient coté Elles auraient coté sur le bon cheval. They (female) would have bet on the right horse.

Other Conjugations for Coter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Coter – 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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