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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débarbouiller

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The English translation of the French verb débarbouiller is “to clean (off) or wipe (off) dirt or mess from someone’s face.”

The infinitive form of débarbouiller is pronounced “day-bar-boo-yay.”

Débarbouiller comes from the French words “débarbouil” (dirt) and “bouille” (face), and it originated in the 16th century. In everyday French, débarbouiller is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or imagined action that would have occurred in the past.

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

  1. Si je t’avais débarbouillé avant le dîner, tu ne serais pas si sale maintenant. (If I had cleaned your face before dinner, you wouldn’t be so dirty now.)

  2. Elle aurait débarbouillé les enfants avant d’aller à l’école. (She would have wiped the children’s faces before going to school.)

  3. Nous nous serions débarbouillés avant d’aller au travail, mais nous étions en retard. (We would have cleaned our faces before going to work, but we were running late.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais débarbouillé Si j’avais plus de temps, je t’aurais débarbouillé. I would have cleaned you up if I had more time.
tu aurais débarbouillé Tu aurais débarbouillé tes vêtements avant la fête. You would have cleaned your clothes before the party.
il aurait débarbouillé Il aurait débarbouillé le chien après la promenade. He would have cleaned the dog after the walk.
elle aurait débarbouillé Elle aurait débarbouillé le bébé après le repas. She would have cleaned the baby after the meal.
on aurait débarbouillé On aurait débarbouillé les taches sur le tapis. One would have cleaned the stains on the carpet.
nous aurions débarbouillé Nous aurions débarbouillé la maison avant l’arrivée des invités. We would have cleaned the house before the guests arrive.
vous auriez débarbouillé Vous auriez débarbouillé le verre avant de le passer à quelqu’un d’autre. You would have cleaned the glass before passing it to someone else.
ils auraient débarbouillé Ils auraient débarbouillé la voiture après le voyage. They would have cleaned the car after the trip.
elles auraient débarbouillé Elles auraient débarbouillé la cuisine après avoir cuisiné. They (female) would have cleaned the kitchen after cooking.

Other Conjugations for Débarbouiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débarbouiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Débarbouiller – 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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