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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débiner

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The English translation of the French verb débiner is “to slander” or “to badmouth”. It is pronounced as “day-bee-nay”.

The word débiner comes from the Old French word “debiner”, which means “to reveal a secret”. It is most often used in modern French to mean “to speak badly of someone behind their back” or “to spread rumors or gossip about someone”.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, débiner is conjugated as “aurais débiné” for je (I), “aurais débiné” for tu (you), “aurait débiné” for il/elle (he/she), “aurions débiné” for nous (we), “auriez débiné” for vous (you all), and “auraient débiné” for ils/elles (they).

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su qu’il m’avait débiné, je ne lui aurais jamais parlé. (If I had known that he had slandered me, I would have never talked to him.)
  2. Tu aurais mieux fait de te taire plutôt que de débiner tes collègues. (You would have done better to keep quiet instead of badmouthing your colleagues.)
  3. Elle aurait débiné tous mes secrets si je ne lui avais pas fait confiance. (She would have spread all my secrets if I had not trusted her.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais débiné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais débiné. I would have badmouthed you.
tu aurais débiné Tu aurais débiné ton collègue. You would have gossiped about your colleague.
il aurait débiné Il aurait débiné son voisin. He would have talked badly about his neighbor.
elle aurait débiné Elle aurait débiné sa copine. She would have spread rumors about her friend.
on aurait débiné On aurait débiné le patron. One would have talked badly about the boss.
nous aurions débiné Nous aurions débiné notre professeur. We would have gossiped about our teacher.
vous auriez débiné Vous auriez débiné vos ennemis. You would have badmouthed your enemies.
ils auraient débiné Ils auraient débiné leurs collègues. They would have gossiped about their colleagues.
elles auraient débiné Elles auraient débiné leurs voisines. They (female) would have spread rumors about their neighbors.

Other Conjugations for Débiner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Débiner – 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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