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

Introduction to the verb couiller

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The English translation of the French verb couiller is “to mess up” or “to screw up”. It is pronounced “kwee-yey”.

The word couiller comes from the Old French word “coillir” meaning “to gather, collect, or pick”. Over time, it evolved to have a more negative connotation, referring to the act of ruining something or causing trouble.

In everyday French, the verb couiller is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain past action. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of the verb.

Examples of couiller in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais suivi tes conseils, je n’aurais pas couillé mon examen. (If I had followed your advice, I wouldn’t have messed up my exam.)

  2. Il aurait mieux fait de ne pas toucher à ma voiture, il l’a complètement couillée. (He should have stayed away from my car, he completely screwed it up.)

  3. Nous serions arrivés à l’heure si le train n’avait pas couillé en route. (We would have arrived on time if the train hadn’t messed up on the way.)

Translation:

  1. If I had followed your advice, I wouldn’t have messed up my exam.

  2. He should have stayed away from my car, he completely screwed it up.

  3. We would have arrived on time if the train hadn’t messed up on the way.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais couillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais couillé. I would have messed you up/fool you.
tu aurais couillé Tu aurais couillé plus tôt. You would have messed up/fool earlier.
il aurait couillé Il aurait couillé pour l’argent. He would have messed up/fool for the money.
elle aurait couillé Elle aurait couillé son patron. She would have messed up/fool her boss.
on aurait couillé On aurait couillé avec cette décision. One would have messed up with this decision.
nous aurions couillé Nous aurions couillé si on n’avait pas pris le temps de réfléchir. We would have messed up if we hadn’t taken the time to think.
vous auriez couillé Vous auriez couillé avec cette idée. You would have messed up with this idea.
ils auraient couillé Ils auraient couillé en s’impliquant dans cette affaire. They would have messed up by getting involved in this matter.
elles auraient couillé Elles auraient couillé en se fiant à leur instinct. They (female) would have messed up by trusting their instinct.

Other Conjugations for Couiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Couiller – 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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