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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cousiner

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The English translation of the French verb cousiner is “to cousinate,” meaning to spend time with cousins or to be in contact with them. The infinitive form, cousiner, is pronounced koo-zee-nay.

Cousiner comes from the French word cousine, which means cousin. It is derived from the Latin word consobrinus, which also means cousin. In everyday French, cousiner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which indicates a hypothetical situation that could have occurred in the past.

Here are three simple examples of how cousiner is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais cousiné avec mes cousins en vacances. (If I had had more time, I would have spent time with my cousins on vacation.)

  2. Elle aurait cousiné avec son cousin si elle l’avait vu à la fête. (She would have hung out with her cousin if she had seen him at the party.)

  3. Nous aurions cousiné davantage si nous avions grandi dans la même ville. (We would have been closer if we had grown up in the same city.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cousiné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais cousi

Other Conjugations for Cousiner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cousiner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Cousiner – 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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