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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb culer

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The English translation of the French verb culer is “to move back or retreat.” The infinitive form of culer is pronounced “koo-leh.”

The origin of culer can be traced back to the Latin word “culus,” meaning “backside” or “bottom.” In everyday French, culer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which indicates an action that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of culer in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais culé plus tôt. (If I had known, I would have moved back sooner.)

  2. Il aurait culé s’il avait remarqué le danger. (He would have retreated if he had noticed the danger.)

  3. Nous serions partis sans culer si le temps avait été meilleur. (We would have left without moving back if the weather had been better.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known, I would have moved back sooner.

  2. He would have retreated if he had noticed the danger.

  3. We would have left without moving back if the weather had been better.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais culé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais culé. I would have kicked you.
tu aurais culé Tu aurais culé plus tôt. You would have kicked earlier.
il aurait culé Il aurait culé le ballon. He would have kicked the ball.
elle aurait culé Elle aurait culé sur le terrain. She would have kicked on the field.
on aurait culé On aurait culé ensemble. One would have kicked together.
nous aurions culé Nous aurions culé en équipe. We would have kicked as a team.
vous auriez culé Vous auriez culé avec moi. You would have kicked with me.
ils auraient culé Ils auraient culé le ballon. They would have kicked the ball.
elles auraient culé Elles auraient culé sur le terrain. They (female) would have kicked on the field.

Other Conjugations for Culer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb culer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Culer – 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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