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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décalquer

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The English translation of the French verb décalquer is “to trace” or “to copy.” It is pronounced as “dey-kal-kay” in its infinitive form.

Décalquer comes from the Latin word “calcare,” which means “to step on” or “to press.” In French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action in the past.

  1. J’aurais décalqué le dessin si j’avais eu du papier : I would have traced the drawing if I had had paper.
  2. Tu aurais décalqué les mots pour pouvoir les lire : You would have copied the words to be able to read them.
  3. Il aurait décalqué le plan avant de le découper : He would have traced the plan before cutting it.

These examples show how décalquer is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a past action that did not actually happen, but could have happened if certain conditions were met.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais décalqué Si j’avais su, je t’aurais décalqué. I would have traced it if I had known.
tu aurais décalqué Tu aurais décalqué plus tôt. You would have traced it earlier.
il aurait décalqué Il aurait décalqué la photo. He would have traced the photo.
elle aurait décalqué Elle aurait décalqué le dessin. She would have traced the drawing.
on aurait décalqué On aurait décalqué le motif. One would have traced the pattern.
nous aurions décalqué Nous aurions décalqué en classe. We would have traced in class.
vous auriez décalqué Vous auriez décalqué avec nous. You would have traced with us.
ils auraient décalqué Ils auraient décalqué le logo. They would have traced the logo.
elles auraient décalqué Elles auraient décalqué des images. They (female) would have traced images.

Other Conjugations for Décalquer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décalquer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Décalquer – 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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