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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décartonner

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of décartonner. 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 décartonner is “to unbox” or “to take out of the box.” It is pronounced as “day-car-ton-ay.”

Décartonner comes from the combination of the French words “dé-” (meaning “un-” or “de-“) and “carton” (meaning “cardboard box”). It is a regular -er verb and is often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or possible action in the past. This tense is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the Conditionnel Présent tense and the past participle of the main verb.

Some common situations where décartonner might be used in the Conditionnel Passé tense include talking about unpacking after a move or unpacking items from storage.

Here are three examples of décartonner in the Conditionnel Passé tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su que tu viendrais m’aider, j’aurais décartonné les livres avant ton arrivée. (If I had known you were coming to help, I would have unboxed the books before you arrived.)

  2. Il aurait fallu que tu décartonnes les décorations de Noël avant de partir en vacances. (You should have unpacked the Christmas decorations before leaving for vacation.)

  3. On aurait pu déballer les vêtements ensemble pour aller plus vite. (We could have unpacked the clothes together to go faster.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais décartonné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais décartonné. I would have unpacked you.
tu aurais décartonné Tu aurais décartonné plus tôt. You would have unpacked earlier.
il aurait décartonné Il aurait décartonné les boîtes. He would have unpacked the boxes.
elle aurait décartonné Elle aurait décartonné ses vêtements. She would have unpacked her clothes.
on aurait décartonné On aurait décartonné les meubles. One would have unpacked the furniture.
nous aurions décartonné Nous aurions décartonné toutes nos affaires. We would have unpacked all our things.
vous auriez décartonné Vous auriez décartonné avec nous. You would have unpacked with us.
ils auraient décartonné Ils auraient décartonné leurs affaires. They would have unpacked their things.
elles auraient décartonné Elles auraient décartonné leurs valises. They (female) would have unpacked their suitcases.

Other Conjugations for Décartonner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décartonner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    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 décartonner Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts