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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb criailler

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The English translation of the French verb criailler is “to squawk” or “to screech.” The infinitive form is pronounced “kree-ay-yay.”

Criailler comes from the Old French word “criaillier,” which comes from the Latin word “quadrare,” meaning “to make a loud noise.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe loud or shrill sounds made by animals or people.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, criailler is used to talk about a past action that would have happened if a certain condition had been met. Here are three examples:

  1. Si le chat n’avait pas été là, les oiseaux auraient criaillé toute la nuit. (If the cat hadn’t been there, the birds would have squawked all night.)
  2. J’aurais criaille si j’avais vu un rat dans ma cuisine. (I would have screeched if I had seen a rat in my kitchen.)
  3. Si tu avais fermé la fenêtre, on n’aurait pas entendu les enfants criailler dans la cour. (If you had closed the window, we wouldn’t have heard the children squawking in the courtyard.)

In these examples, the use of criailler in the Conditionnel Passé tense emphasizes the hypothetical aspect of the situation and the loud or annoying nature of the noise.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais crié Si j’avais su, je t’aurais crié. I would have yelled at you.
tu aurais crié Tu aurais crié plus tôt. You would have yelled earlier.
il aurait crié Il aurait crié à son frère. He would have yelled at his brother.
elle aurait crié Elle aurait crié sur la scène. She would have shouted on stage.
on aurait crié On aurait crié de joie. One would have shouted for joy.
nous aurions crié Nous aurions crié ensemble. We would have shouted together.
vous auriez crié Vous auriez crié de la colère. You would have yelled in anger.
ils auraient crié Ils auraient crié après le chien. They would have shouted at the dog.
elles auraient crié Elles auraient crié en dansant. They (female) would have screamed while dancing.

Other Conjugations for Criailler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb criailler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Criailler – 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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