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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décarcasser

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The English translation of the French verb décarcasser is “to rack one’s brain/to work really hard”. It is pronounced as “deh-kahr-kah-say” in the infinitive form.

Décarcasser comes from the Old French word “décarcasser” meaning “to remove the bones from meat”. The word “carcasse” in French means “carcass” or “bones”, so décarcasser literally means “to remove the bones”. However, over time, the meaning of the verb evolved and is now commonly used to describe someone who is putting in a lot of effort or working hard to solve a problem or achieve a goal.

In everyday French, décarcasser is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express a past action that would have happened if certain conditions had been met.

Three simple examples of décarcasser in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, je me serais décarcassé pour finir ce projet à temps. (If I had had more time, I would have worked really hard to finish this project on time.)
  2. Tu aurais dû te décarcasser pour obtenir cette promotion. (You should have put in more effort to get this promotion.)
  3. Elle se serait décarcassée pour trouver une solution, mais personne ne l’a aidée. (She would have racked her brains to find a solution, but no one helped her.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais décarcassé(e) Si j’avais su, je me serais décarcassé(e) pour toi. If I had known, I would have gone out of my way for you.
tu te serais décarcassé(e) Tu te serais décarcassé(e) pour réussir. You would have worked hard to succeed.
il se serait décarcassé Il se serait décarcassé pour le projet. He would have put in a lot of effort for the project.
elle se serait décarcassée Elle se serait décarcassée pour obtenir le poste. She would have worked hard to get the job.
on se serait décarcassé(e) On se serait décarcassé(e) pour la soirée. One would have gone all out for the party.
nous nous serions décarcassés Nous nous serions décarcassés pour trouver une solution. We would have worked hard to find a solution.
vous vous seriez décarcassé(e) Vous vous seriez décarcassé(e) pour le projet. You would have gone above and beyond for the project.
ils se seraient décarcassés Ils se seraient décarcassés pour gagner. They would have worked hard to win.
elles se seraient décarcassées Elles se seraient décarcassées pour le sport. They (female) would have put in a lot of effort for the sport.

Other Conjugations for Décarcasser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décarcasser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Décarcasser – 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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