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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb coûter

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The English translation of the French verb coûter is “to cost.” It is pronounced “koo-tay.”

The word coûter comes from the Latin word “constare” meaning “to cost.” In everyday French, coûter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about things that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met.

Here are 3 simple examples of coûter in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their respective English translations:

1) Si j’avais assez d’argent, je t’aurais acheté ce cadeau qui coûte cher. (If I had enough money, I would have bought you this expensive gift.)

2) Nous aurions pu aller au restaurant si ça n’avait pas coûté si cher. (We could have gone to the restaurant if it hadn’t cost so much.)

3) Tu aurais dû faire attention, cela aurait pu te coûter la vie. (You should have been careful, it could have cost you your life.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais coûté Si j’avais su, j’aurais coûté moins cher. I would have cost less if I had known.
tu aurais coûté Tu aurais coûté beaucoup plus. You would have cost a lot more.
il aurait coûté Il aurait coûté cher. He would have cost a lot.
elle aurait coûté Elle aurait coûté plus que prévu. She would have cost more than expected.
on aurait coûté On aurait coûté trop. One would have cost too much.
nous aurions coûté Nous aurions coûté trop cher. We would have cost too much.
vous auriez coûté Vous auriez coûté plus que prévu. You would have cost more than expected.
ils auraient coûté Ils auraient coûté une fortune. They would have cost a fortune.
elles auraient coûté Elles auraient coûté trop cher. They (female) would have cost too much.

Other Conjugations for Coûter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coûter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Coûter – 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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