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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décongeler

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The English translation of the French verb décongeler is “to defrost” or “to thaw.” The infinitive form is pronounced “day-kon-zhuh-lay.”

Décongeler comes from the prefix “dé-” meaning “un-” or “de-” and the verb “congeler” meaning “to freeze.” Therefore, décongeler literally means “to unfreeze” or “to un-freeze.”

In everyday French, décongeler is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the equivalent of the English “would have + past participle.” This tense is used to talk about hypothetical or possible actions that could have taken place in the past.

Here are three examples of décongeler in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais suivi les instructions, j’aurais décongelé la viande avant de la cuire. (If I had followed the instructions, I would have defrosted the meat before cooking it.)

  2. Est-ce que tu aurais décongelé les légumes si je t’avais demandé de le faire? (Would you have thawed the vegetables if I had asked you to?)

  3. Ils auraient décongelé les poissons s’ils n’avaient pas été si pressés. (They would have defrosted the fish if they hadn’t been in such a hurry.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais décongelé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais décongelé. I would have defrosted you.
tu aurais décongelé Tu aurais décongelé plus tôt. You would have defrosted earlier.
il aurait décongelé Il aurait décongelé la viande. He would have defrosted the meat.
elle aurait décongelé Elle aurait décongelé le repas. She would have defrosted the meal.
on aurait décongelé On aurait décongelé la voiture. One would have defrosted the car.
nous aurions décongelé Nous aurions décongelé le dîner. We would have defrosted dinner.
vous auriez décongelé Vous auriez décongelé le poisson. You would have defrosted the fish.
ils auraient décongelé Ils auraient décongelé les légumes. They would have defrosted the vegetables.
elles auraient décongelé Elles auraient décongelé la glace. They (female) would have defrosted the ice cream.

Other Conjugations for Décongeler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décongeler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Décongeler – 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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