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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb craquer

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The English translation of the French verb craquer is “to crack” or “to snap.” It is pronounced “kra-kay.”

Craquer comes from the Latin word “crepare,” meaning “to crack” or “to break.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action that would have taken place in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais suivi ton conseil, je n’aurais pas craqué et j’aurais économisé de l’argent. (If I had followed your advice, I wouldn’t have cracked and I would have saved money.)

  2. Elle aurait craqué si elle avait vu le cadeau surprise que son mari lui avait préparé. (She would have cracked if she had seen the surprise gift her husband had prepared for her.)

  3. Nous aurions craqué sous la pression si notre équipe n’avait pas marqué ce but à la dernière minute. (We would have cracked under pressure if our team hadn’t scored that last-minute goal.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais craqué Si j’avais su, je t’aurais craqué. I would have cracked under the pressure.
tu aurais craqué Tu aurais craqué plus tôt. You would have given in earlier.
il aurait craqué Il aurait craqué pour elle. He would have fallen for her.
elle aurait craqué Elle aurait craqué pour lui. She would have fallen for him.
on aurait craqué On aurait craqué pour ce film. One would have loved this movie.
nous aurions craqué Nous aurions craqué pour ce restaurant. We would have loved this restaurant.
vous auriez craqué Vous auriez craqué pour cette chanson. You would have loved this song.
ils auraient craqué Ils auraient craqué pour cette voiture. They would have fallen for this car.
elles auraient craqué Elles auraient craqué pour ces chaussures. They (female) would have loved these shoes.

Other Conjugations for Craquer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb craquer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Craquer – 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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