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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débouler

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The English translation of the French verb débouler is “to tumble” or “to rush in”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-boo-lay”.

Débouler comes from the French word “boule” which means ball. It originates from the Old French word “bouler” which means “to roll”. In everyday French, débouler is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or possible action that would have taken place in the past.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais suivi ton conseil, je ne me serais pas déboulé dans les escaliers. (If I had followed your advice, I wouldn’t have tumbled down the stairs.)
  2. Si vous n’aviez pas déboulé dans la pièce, vous n’auriez pas vu le gâteau surprise. (If you hadn’t rushed into the room, you wouldn’t have seen the surprise cake.)
  3. Elle aurait pu gagner la course si elle ne s’était pas déboulée à la dernière minute. (She could have won the race if she hadn’t tumbled in at the last minute.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais déboulé Si j’avais su, je me serais déboulé. I would have come running if I had known.
tu aurais déboulé Tu aurais déboulé plus tôt. You would have come running earlier.
il aurait déboulé Il aurait déboulé en courant. He would have come running.
elle aurait déboulé Elle aurait déboulé si elle avait su. She would have come running if she had known.
on aurait déboulé On aurait déboulé vers le parc. One would have come running towards the park.
nous aurions déboulé Nous aurions déboulé en voiture. We would have driven there quickly.
vous auriez déboulé Vous auriez déboulé avec nous. You would have come running with us.
ils auraient déboulé Ils auraient déboulé en masse. They would have come running in a group.
elles auraient déboulé Elles auraient déboulé en chantant. They (female) would have come running while singing.

Other Conjugations for Débouler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débouler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Débouler – 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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