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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décider

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The English translation of the French verb décider is “to decide.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-see-day.”

The word décider comes from the Latin word “decidere,” meaning “to cut off,” and can be traced back to the Indo-European root “kheyd,” meaning “to split or cut.”

In every day French, décider is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express a decision or action that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions were met.

Here are three simple examples of décider in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais décidé de partir en vacances. (If I had had more time, I would have decided to go on vacation.)

  2. Tu aurais décidé de changer de carrière si tu avais obtenu ce poste. (You would have decided to change careers if you had gotten that job.)

  3. Ils auraient décidé de se marier s’ils avaient gagné à la loterie. (They would have decided to get married if they had won the lottery.)

In each of these examples, the verb décider is used to express a decision that would have been made in the past if certain conditions had been met.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais décidé Si j’avais eu l’argent, je serais allé en vacances. If I had had the money, I would have gone on vacation.
tu aurais décidé Tu aurais pu venir avec nous. You could have come with us.
il aurait décidé Il aurait pris une décision différente. He would have made a different decision.
elle aurait décidé Elle aurait acheté cette robe. She would have bought this dress.
on aurait décidé On aurait choisi un autre restaurant. We would have chosen another restaurant.
nous aurions décidé Nous aurions agi différemment. We would have acted differently.
vous auriez décidé Vous auriez dû réfléchir avant. You should have thought about it beforehand.
ils auraient décidé Ils auraient pu changer d’avis. They could have changed their minds.
elles auraient décidé Elles auraient dû prendre en compte notre avis. They (female) should have taken our opinion into consideration.

Other Conjugations for Décider.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décider
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Décider – 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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