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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb glisser

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The English translation of the French verb glisser is “to slide” or “to slip.” It is pronounced “glee-say” in the infinitive form.

The language origin of glisser can be traced back to the Latin word “gliscere” which means “to slip” or “to slide.” In everyday French, glisser is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical or possible action that would have taken place in the past.

Here are three simple examples of glisser in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais été plus prudent, je ne serais pas glissé sur la glace. (If I had been more careful, I wouldn’t have slipped on the ice.)
  2. Nous aurions glissé un mot à propos de votre anniversaire, mais nous avons oublié. (We would have mentioned your birthday, but we forgot.)
  3. Elle aurait glissé un billet dans ma main pour que je puisse payer le bus. (She would have slipped a ticket into my hand so that I could pay for the bus.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais glissé Si j’avais su, je serais glissé. If I had known, I would have slipped.
tu aurais glissé Tu aurais glissé sur la glace. You would have slipped on the ice.
il aurait glissé Il aurait glissé sur la piste. He would have slid on the track.
elle aurait glissé Elle aurait glissé sur la banane. She would have slipped on the banana.
on aurait glissé On aurait glissé s’il avait plu. One would have slipped if it had rained.
nous aurions glissé Nous aurions glissé ensemble. We would have slid together.
vous auriez glissé Vous auriez glissé avec moi. You would have slipped with me.
ils auraient glissé Ils auraient glissé sur le terrain. They would have slid on the field.
elles auraient glissé Elles auraient glissé sur la piste. They (female) would have slid on the track.

Other Conjugations for Glisser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb glisser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Glisser – 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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