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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb couder

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The English translation of the French verb couder is “to bend” or “to elbow.” It is pronounced as “koo-deh” in its infinitive form.

The word couder comes from the Latin word “cubitum,” meaning “elbow.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of bending or flexing one’s arm at the elbow.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, couder is used to express a past conditional action or event. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais coude le tuyau pour éviter la fuite. (If I had more time, I would have bent the pipe to avoid the leak.)

  2. Nous aurions dû couder nos genoux pour passer sous le petit pont. (We should have bent our knees to pass under the small bridge.)

  3. Elle aurait coude son bras pour lui faire signe de venir. (She would have bent her arm to signal him to come over.)

In these examples, couder is used to express a conditional action that could have taken place in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais coudé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais coudé. I would have bent my elbow.
tu aurais coudé Tu aurais coudé plus tôt. You would have bent your elbow earlier.
il aurait coudé Il aurait coudé la branche. He would have bent the branch.
elle aurait coudé Elle aurait coudé le tissu. She would have bent the fabric.
on aurait coudé On aurait coudé ensemble. One would have bent together.
nous aurions coudé Nous aurions coudé en utilisant un outil. We would have bent using a tool.
vous auriez coudé Vous auriez coudé avec eux. You would have bent with them.
ils auraient coudé Ils auraient coudé pour aider. They would have bent to help.
elles auraient coudé Elles auraient coudé pour améliorer. They (female) would have bent to improve.

Other Conjugations for Couder.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couder
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Couder – 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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