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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décoller

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The English translation of the French verb décoller is “to take off” or “to unstick.” It is pronounced as “dey-koh-leh” in its infinitive form.

Décoller comes from the French word “colle,” meaning “glue,” and the prefix “dé,” which indicates a reversal or separation. Therefore, décoller literally means “to unglue” or “to unstick.”

In everyday French, décoller is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical situation in the past. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of décoller.

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

  1. Si j’avais suivi les instructions, j’aurais pu décoller à temps. (If I had followed the instructions, I could have taken off on time.)
  2. Il aurait décollé plus tôt s’il n’y avait pas eu de retard. (He would have taken off earlier if there hadn’t been a delay.)
  3. Nous serions arrivés à l’heure si notre vol n’avait pas décollé en retard. (We would have arrived on time if our flight hadn’t taken off late.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais décollé Si j’avais eu plus de temps, je serais décollé. If I had had more time, I would have taken off.
tu aurais décollé Tu aurais décollé plus tôt. You would have taken off earlier.
il aurait décollé Il aurait décollé à l’heure. He would have taken off on time.
elle aurait décollé Elle aurait décollé avec ses amis. She would have taken off with her friends.
on aurait décollé On aurait décollé vers midi. We would have taken off around noon.
nous aurions décollé Nous aurions décollé par un temps magnifique. We would have taken off in beautiful weather.
vous auriez décollé Vous auriez décollé en première classe. You would have taken off in first class.
ils auraient décollé Ils auraient décollé pour Paris. They would have taken off to Paris.
elles auraient décollé Elles auraient décollé ensemble. They (female) would have taken off together.

Other Conjugations for Décoller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décoller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Décoller – 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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