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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débiter

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of débiter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb débiter is “to debit” or “to charge.” The infinitive form, débiter, is pronounced as “day-bee-tay.”

The language origin of débiter can be traced back to the Latin word “debitare,” meaning “to owe.” In everyday French, débiter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to express a past action that would have happened if certain conditions were met.

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

  1. Si j’avais de l’argent, j’aurais débité mon compte bancaire pour acheter un nouveau téléphone. (If I had money, I would have debited my bank account to buy a new phone.)
  2. Elle aurait dû débiter sa carte de crédit pour payer sa facture de téléphone. (She should have debited her credit card to pay her phone bill.)
  3. Nous aurions débité le compte du client s’il n’avait pas réglé sa dette à temps. (We would have debited the client’s account if he had not paid his debt on time.)

English translations:

  1. If I had money, I would have debited my bank account to buy a new phone.
  2. She should have debited her credit card to pay her phone bill.
  3. We would have debited the client’s account if he had not paid his debt on time.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais débité Si j’avais su, j’aurais débité plus. If I had known, I would have cut more.
tu aurais débité Tu aurais débité plus vite. You would have cut faster.
il aurait débité Il aurait débité le bois en morceaux. He would have cut the wood into pieces.
elle aurait débité Elle aurait débité le tissu en bandes. She would have cut the fabric into strips.
on aurait débité On aurait débité le gâteau en parts. One would have cut the cake into slices.
nous aurions débité Nous aurions débité les légumes. We would have cut the vegetables.
vous auriez débité Vous auriez débité les papiers. You would have shredded the papers.
ils auraient débité Ils auraient débité la viande. They would have cut the meat.
elles auraient débité Elles auraient débité les cartes. They (female) would have cut the cards.

Other Conjugations for Débiter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débiter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the débiter Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Débiter – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb débiter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts