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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb couver

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English translation: The English translation of the French verb couver is “to brood” or “to incubate.” The infinitive form of couver is pronounced “koo-vay.”

Language origin: Couver comes from the Old French verb covrir, meaning “to cover.” It was first used in the 12th century to refer to the act of a bird sitting on its eggs to keep them warm. Over time, it evolved to also mean “to meditate” or “to ponder.”

Everyday usage in Conditionnel Passé tense: In everyday French, couver is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain past action or event. It is formed with the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of couver.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais couvé plus d’idées, j’aurais pu écrire un livre. (If I had brooded more ideas, I could have written a book.)
  2. Ils seraient partis en vacances si elle n’avait pas couvé la grippe. (They would have gone on vacation if she hadn’t incubated the flu.)
  3. Nous aurions réussi le projet si tu n’avais pas couvé de doutes. (We would have succeeded in the project if you hadn’t brooded doubts.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais couvé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais couvé. I would have brooded over you.
tu aurais couvé Tu aurais couvé plus tôt. You would have brooded earlier.
il aurait couvé Il aurait couvé les oeufs. He would have brooded the eggs.
elle aurait couvé Elle aurait couvé le poussin. She would have brooded the chick.
on aurait couvé On aurait couvé ensemble. One would have brooded together.
nous aurions couvé Nous aurions couvé en secret. We would have brooded in secrecy.
vous auriez couvé Vous auriez couvé avec soin. You would have brooded carefully.
ils auraient couvé Ils auraient couvé les oeufs. They would have brooded the eggs.
elles auraient couvé Elles auraient couvé les poussins. They (female) would have brooded the chicks.

Other Conjugations for Couver.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Couver – 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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