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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb creuser

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The English translation of the French verb creuser is “to dig.” The infinitive form is pronounced “kru-zay.”

Creuser is derived from the Latin word “excavare” meaning “to hollow out.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met.

Examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais creusé plus tôt, j’aurais trouvé le trésor. (If I had dug earlier, I would have found the treasure.)
  2. Nous serions arrivés plus vite si nous avions creusé un tunnel. (We would have arrived faster if we had dug a tunnel.)
  3. S’ils avaient creusé plus profondément, ils auraient découvert les fondations de la vieille maison. (If they had dug deeper, they would have discovered the foundations of the old house.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais creusé J’aurais creusé un trou profond. I would have dug a deep hole.
tu aurais creusé Tu aurais creusé cette fosse. You would have dug this pit.
il aurait creusé Il aurait creusé une galerie. He would have dug a tunnel.
elle aurait creusé Elle aurait creusé un puits. She would have dug a well.
on aurait creusé On aurait creusé une tranchée. One would have dug a trench.
nous aurions creusé Nous aurions creusé un tunnel. We would have dug a tunnel.
vous auriez creusé Vous auriez creusé une fosse commune. You would have dug a mass grave.
ils auraient creusé Ils auraient creusé un trou pour la piscine. They would have dug a hole for the pool.
elles auraient creusé Elles auraient creusé un abri. They (female) would have dug a shelter.

Other Conjugations for Creuser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb creuser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Creuser – 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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