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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décapeler

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The English translation of the French verb décapeler is “to uncork” or “to remove the cork.” It is pronounced as “deh-kah-peh-leh.”

Décapeler comes from the French word “décapuchonner” which means “to remove the cap.” It is derived from the prefix “dé-” meaning “to remove” and “capuchon” meaning “cap.” The word is most often used in every day French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or unrealized action in the past.

Three examples of décapeler in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. J’aurais décapelé la bouteille de vin si j’avais trouvé le tire-bouchon.
    Translation: I would have uncorked the bottle of wine if I had found the corkscrew.

  2. Ils auraient décapelé la champagne s’ils avaient gagné le match.
    Translation: They would have uncorked the champagne if they had won the game.

  3. Tu aurais dû décapeler la bouteille de bière avant de la mettre dans le frigo.
    Translation: You should have uncorked the bottle of beer before putting it in the fridge.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais décapelé J’aurais décapelé mon vélo. I would have uncapped my bike.
tu aurais décapelé Tu aurais décapelé la bouteille. You would have uncapped the bottle.
il aurait décapelé Il aurait décapelé son stylo. He would have uncapped his pen.
elle aurait décapelé Elle aurait décapelé la bouteille. She would have uncapped the bottle.
on aurait décapelé On aurait décapelé le pot. One would have uncapped the jar.
nous aurions décapelé Nous aurions décapelé les bouteilles. We would have uncapped the bottles.
vous auriez décapelé Vous auriez décapelé les bouteilles. You would have uncapped the bottles.
ils auraient décapelé Ils auraient décapelé les bouteilles. They would have uncapped the bottles.
elles auraient décapelé Elles auraient décapelé les bouteilles. They (female) would have uncapped the bottles.

Other Conjugations for Décapeler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décapeler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Décapeler – 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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