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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déboucher

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The English translation of the French verb déboucher is “to unclog” or “to unblock.” It is pronounced as “day-boo-shay” in its infinitive form.

The word déboucher comes from the French prefix “dé-” which means “un-” or “de-” and the verb boucher which means “to block” or “to clog.” Therefore, déboucher literally means to remove a blockage or obstruction.

In everyday French, déboucher is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or possible action that would have occurred in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Conditionnel Présent tense followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Three simple examples of déboucher in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais débouché l’évier, l’eau ne se serait pas accumulée dans l’évier. (If I had unclogged the sink, the water would not have accumulated in the sink.)
  2. Nous serions arrivés à l’heure si tu avais débouché l’autoroute. (We would have arrived on time if you had unblocked the highway.)
  3. Elle aurait pu boire son café si elle avait débouché la cafetière à temps. (She could have had her coffee if she had unclogged the coffee maker on time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais débouché Si j’avais acheté le bon produit, j’aurais débouché l’évier. If I had bought the right product, I would have unclogged the sink.
tu aurais débouché Tu aurais débouché la bouteille plus facilement avec un tire-bouchon. You would have unclogged the bottle more easily with a corkscrew.
il aurait débouché Il aurait débouché la bouteille en un rien de temps. He would have unclogged the bottle in no time.
elle aurait débouché Elle aurait débouché la baignoire avant de prendre son bain. She would have unclogged the bathtub before taking her bath.
on aurait débouché On aurait débouché les canalisations avec un produit chimique. One would have unclogged the pipes with a chemical product.
nous aurions débouché Nous aurions débouché toutes les bouteilles pour la fête. We would have unclogged all the bottles for the party.
vous auriez débouché Vous auriez débouché l’évier sans l’aide du plombier. You would have unclogged the sink without the help of a plumber.
ils auraient débouché Ils auraient débouché les égouts en cas d’inondation. They would have unclogged the sewers in case of a flood.
elles auraient débouché Elles auraient débouché les tuyaux avec un furet. They (female) would have unclogged the pipes with a plumber’s snake.

Other Conjugations for Déboucher.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déboucher
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Déboucher – 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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