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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décoffrer

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The English translation of the French verb décoffrer is “to remove the formwork” or “to take down the scaffolding.” It is pronounced “day-koh-fray.”

Décoffrer comes from the combination of the prefix “de-” (meaning “down” or “away from”) and the verb “coffrer” (meaning “to form” or “to frame”). It is most often used in the context of construction and building work, specifically in reference to the process of removing the temporary structures used to support concrete or other materials during construction.

In everyday French, décoffrer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to talk about hypothetical actions or events that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met. Here are three examples:

  1. Si j’avais suivi les instructions, j’aurais décoffré le mur au bon moment. (If I had followed the instructions, I would have removed the formwork at the right time.)
  2. Vous auriez décoffré les poutres si la météo avait été plus clémente. (You would have taken down the scaffolding if the weather had been better.)
  3. Ils auraient décoffré toute la structure s’ils avaient eu plus de temps. (They would have removed all the scaffolding if they had had more time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais décoffré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais décoffré. I would have removed the moldings.
tu aurais décoffré Tu aurais décoffré les fenêtres. You would have removed the windows.
il aurait décoffré Il aurait décoffré les portes. He would have removed the doors.
elle aurait décoffré Elle aurait décoffré les plinthes. She would have removed the baseboards.
on aurait décoffré On aurait décoffré le plancher. One would have removed the floor.
nous aurions décoffré Nous aurions décoffré les moulures. We would have removed the moldings.
vous auriez décoffré Vous auriez décoffré avec nous. You would have removed with us.
ils auraient décoffré Ils auraient décoffré la charpente. They would have removed the framework.
elles auraient décoffré Elles auraient décoffré les murs. They (female) would have removed the walls.

Other Conjugations for Décoffrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décoffrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Décoffrer – 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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