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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déboutonner

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of déboutonner. 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 déboutonner is “to unbutton.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-boo-toe-nay.”

Déboutonner comes from the combination of two French words: “dé-” which means “undo” or “un-” and “bouton” which translates to “button.” It is a regular -er verb and is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, also known as the conditional perfect tense.

This tense is used to talk about an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three examples of déboutonner in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su qu’il faisait chaud, j’aurais déboutonné ma chemise. (If I had known it was hot, I would have unbuttoned my shirt.)

  2. Elle aurait déboutonné son manteau s’il n’y avait pas eu de boutons. (She would have unbuttoned her coat if there were no buttons.)

  3. Nous serions déboutonnés plus tôt si nous avions eu plus de temps. (We would have unbuttoned earlier if we had more time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais déboutonné Si j’avais su, j’aurais déboutonné ma chemise. I would have unbuttoned my shirt if I had known.
tu aurais déboutonné Tu aurais déboutonné ta veste. You would have unbuttoned your jacket.
il aurait déboutonné Il aurait déboutonné son manteau. He would have unbuttoned his coat.
elle aurait déboutonné Elle aurait déboutonné sa robe. She would have unbuttoned her dress.
on aurait déboutonné On aurait déboutonné nos vestes. One would have unbuttoned our jackets.
nous aurions déboutonné Nous aurions déboutonné nos chemises. We would have unbuttoned our shirts.
vous auriez déboutonné Vous auriez déboutonné vos chemisiers. You would have unbuttoned your blouses.
ils auraient déboutonné Ils auraient déboutonné leurs pulls. They would have unbuttoned their sweaters.
elles auraient déboutonné Elles auraient déboutonné leurs jupes. They (female) would have unbuttoned their skirts.

Other Conjugations for Déboutonner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déboutonner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    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 déboutonner Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts