Could Germany have used an unscuttled French fleet?

If the French Navy had not scuttled its ships, could the Kriegsmarine have used them?

It would probably have tried, but even Hitler recognized that converting captured French ships into an effective German force would be difficult.

The Kriegsmarine would probably have tried to use French warships if the fleet had not been scuttled. Hitler is singled out as unusually reluctant about the idea, perhaps because he recognized the difficulties involved. The brief exchange does not identify those obstacles, so it cannot support a detailed feasibility assessment. It supports only the distinction between capturing the ships and turning them into an effective operational force.