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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débourser

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of débourser. 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 débourser is “to pay” or “to spend.” It is pronounced as “day-boor-say” in the infinitive form.

Débourser comes from the Old French word “desborser,” which is a combination of the prefix “des-” meaning “out” and “borser” meaning “to pay.” It entered the French language in the 16th century and has been used in everyday French since then.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, débourser is used to talk about actions or events that would have been paid or spent in the past if certain conditions had been met. For example:

  1. Si j’avais gagné à la loterie, j’aurais déboursé une grande partie de l’argent pour voyager. (If I had won the lottery, I would have spent a large part of the money on traveling.)

  2. Nous aurions déboursé plus d’argent pour cet hôtel s’il avait été mieux situé. (We would have paid more for this hotel if it had been better located.)

  3. Elle aurait déboursé toutes ses économies pour acheter cette robe si elle l’avait trouvée en solde. (She would have spent all her savings to buy this dress if she had found it on sale.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais déboursé Si j’avais gagné, j’aurais déboursé plus. I would have spent more if I had won.
tu aurais déboursé Tu aurais déboursé tout ton argent. You would have spent all your money.
il aurait déboursé Il aurait déboursé sa fortune. He would have spent his fortune.
elle aurait déboursé Elle aurait déboursé pour sa famille. She would have spent for her family.
on aurait déboursé On aurait déboursé pour un voyage. One would have spent on a trip.
nous aurions déboursé Nous aurions déboursé beaucoup. We would have spent a lot.
vous auriez déboursé Vous auriez déboursé pour des cadeaux. You would have spent on gifts.
ils auraient déboursé Ils auraient déboursé pour une voiture. They would have spent on a car.
elles auraient déboursé Elles auraient déboursé pour une maison. They (female) would have spent on a house.

Other Conjugations for Débourser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débourser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    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 débourser Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Débourser – 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 débourser. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts