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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb coupailler

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The English translation of the French verb coupailler is “to snip” or “to clip”. It is pronounced “koo-pah-yay”.

The word coupailler comes from the Old French word “coper” which means “to cut”, and the suffix “-ailler” which indicates a repetitive action. In everyday French, coupailler is most often used in the conditionnel passé tense, which is equivalent to the English conditional perfect tense.

Examples of coupailler in the conditionnel passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais coupaillé les cheveux moi-même. (If I had known, I would have snipped my hair myself.)
  2. Il aurait fallu coupailler les feuilles avant de les mettre dans la salade. (We should have clipped the leaves before putting them in the salad.)
  3. Si tu avais suivi mes conseils, tu n’aurais pas eu besoin de coupailler ton budget. (If you had followed my advice, you wouldn’t have needed to snip your budget.)

These examples show different uses of coupailler in the conditionnel passé tense, with the verb conjugated differently depending on the subject and helping verb used. In each case, the verb is used to indicate a hypothetical or unrealized action in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais coupailé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais coupailé. I would have chopped you.
tu aurais coupailé Tu aurais coupailé plus tôt. You would have chopped earlier.
il aurait coupailé Il aurait coupailé le bois. He would have chopped the wood.
elle aurait coupailé Elle aurait coupailé la viande. She would have cut the meat.
on aurait coupailé On aurait coupailé tout ça. One would have chopped all of that.
nous aurions coupailé Nous aurions coupailé ensemble. We would have chopped together.
vous auriez coupailé Vous auriez coupailé les légumes. You would have chopped the vegetables.
ils auraient coupailé Ils auraient coupailé le bois. They would have chopped the wood.
elles auraient coupailé Elles auraient coupailé les légumes. They (female) would have chopped the vegetables.

Other Conjugations for Coupailler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coupailler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Coupailler – 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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