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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décaper

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The English translation of the French verb décaper is “to strip” or “to remove.” The infinitive form is pronounced “day-cah-pay.”

The language origin of décaper can be traced back to the Latin word “capere,” meaning “to take.” In French, it is often used in its transitive form, meaning it requires a direct object, such as “décaper la peinture” (to strip the paint).

In everyday French, décaper is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense (conditional perfect), which is formed by using the conditional tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of décaper. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action or event that would have occurred in the past under certain conditions.

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

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais décaper la tapisserie avant de peindre les murs. (If I had known, I would have stripped the wallpaper before painting the walls.)
  2. Il se serait décaper les mains s’il avait utilisé un produit chimique sans gants. (He would have stripped his hands if he had used a chemical product without gloves.)
  3. Nous aurions décaper toutes les vieilles couches de vernis avant de remettre en état le meuble. (We would have stripped all the old layers of varnish before restoring the furniture.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais décapé Si j’avais eu le temps, j’aurais décapé la vieille table. If I had had the time, I would have stripped the old table.
tu aurais décapé Tu aurais décapé les escaliers toi-même? Would you have stripped the stairs yourself?
il aurait décapé Il aurait décapé les murs avant de les peindre. He would have stripped the walls before painting them.
elle aurait décapé Elle aurait décapé les meubles en bois. She would have stripped the wooden furniture.
on aurait décapé On aurait décapé tous les meubles de la maison. We would have stripped all the furniture in the house.
nous aurions décapé Nous aurions décapé les portes en métal. We would have stripped the metal doors.
vous auriez décapé Vous auriez décapé la voiture si vous aviez le matériel nécessaire. You would have stripped the car if you had the necessary equipment.
ils auraient décapé Ils auraient décapé la vieille maison avant de la rénover. They would have stripped the old house before renovating it.
elles auraient décapé Elles auraient décapé toutes les surfaces à peindre. They (female) would have stripped all the surfaces to paint.

Other Conjugations for Décaper.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décaper
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Décaper – 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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