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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb coucher

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The English translation of the French verb coucher is “to go to bed” or “to sleep.” It is pronounced as “coo-shay” in the infinitive form.

The word coucher comes from the Old French word “couchier,” which means “to lay down.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have taken place in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of coucher in the Conditionnel Passé tense and their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu le temps, je me serais couché plus tôt. (If I had had time, I would have gone to bed earlier.)
  2. Nous aurions dû nous coucher plus tôt hier soir. (We should have gone to bed earlier last night.)
  3. Elle aurait pu se coucher après le dîner, mais elle a décidé de regarder un film. (She could have gone to bed after dinner, but she chose to watch a movie.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais couché Si j’avais su, je me serais couché. If I had known, I would have gone to bed.
tu aurais couché Tu te serais couché plus tôt. You would have gone to bed earlier.
il aurait couché Il aurait couché à l’hôtel. He would have stayed in a hotel.
elle aurait couché Elle aurait couché avec son ami. She would have slept with her friend.
on aurait couché On aurait couché sous les étoiles. One would have slept under the stars.
nous aurions couché Nous aurions couché dans un gîte. We would have stayed in a cottage.
vous auriez couché Vous auriez couché dans la chambre d’amis. You would have slept in the guest room.
ils auraient couché Ils auraient couché dans leur propre lit. They would have slept in their own bed.
elles auraient couché Elles auraient couché dans un hôtel. They (female) would have stayed in a hotel.

Other Conjugations for Coucher.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coucher
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Coucher – 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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