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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décolleter

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The English translation of the French verb décolleter is “to decolletage.” It is pronounced as [deh-koh-leh-tey].

Décolleter comes from the French word “collet,” which means “collar,” and the prefix “de-” which means “remove.” It originated from the fashion industry and refers to the act of removing or lowering the neckline of a garment, typically a dress or blouse.

In everyday French, décolleter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or future action that would have taken place in the past. Here are 3 simple examples of its usage in this tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su que tu allais décolleter ta robe, je t’aurais apporté un châle. (If I had known you were going to decolletage your dress, I would have brought you a shawl.)
  2. Nous aurions été en retard à la soirée si elle n’avait pas décolleter sa tenue à la dernière minute. (We would have been late to the party if she hadn’t decolletage her outfit at the last minute.)
  3. J’aurais aimé te voir décolleter ta chemise, tu aurais été si élégant. (I would have loved to see you decolletage your shirt, you would have looked so elegant.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais décolleté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais décolleté. I would have bared your neckline.
tu aurais décolleté Tu aurais décolleté plus tôt. You would have bared your neckline earlier.
il aurait décolleté Il aurait décolleté sa chemise. He would have unbuttoned his shirt.
elle aurait décolleté Elle aurait décolleté sa robe. She would have lowered her neckline on her dress.
on aurait décolleté On aurait décolleté en public. One would have bared their neckline in public.
nous aurions décolleté Nous aurions décolleté pour le bal. We would have bared our necklines for the ball.
vous auriez décolleté Vous auriez décolleté avec elle. You would have bared your neckline with her.
ils auraient décolleté Ils auraient décolleté pour l’été. They would have bared their necklines for summer.
elles auraient décolleté Elles auraient décolleté leurs chemisiers. They (female) would have unbuttoned their blouses.

Other Conjugations for Décolleter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décolleter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Décolleter – 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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