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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défaufiler

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The English translation of the French verb défaufiler is “to unravel” or “to pull apart”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-foe-lee-lay”.

Défaufiler comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-“, meaning “un-” or “undo”, and the verb “faufiler”, meaning “to slip or thread through”. It is often used in everyday French to refer to the action of undoing or taking apart something that has been stitched or woven together.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, défaufiler is used to express a hypothetical action in the past that could have taken place under certain conditions. For example:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais défaufilé mes chaussettes. (If I had known, I would have unraveled my socks.)
  2. Je l’aurais défaufilé si j’avais eu plus de temps. (I would have taken it apart if I had had more time.)
  3. Nous aurions défaufilé le pull s’il n’avait pas été si serré. (We would have unraveled the sweater if it hadn’t been so tight.)

In these examples, défaufiler is used to describe an action that did not actually occur, but could have happened if certain conditions had been met. It is often used in this tense to express regret or to talk about missed opportunities.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais défaufilé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais défaufilé. I would have unraveled you.
tu aurais défaufilé Tu aurais défaufilé le fil trop vite. You would have unraveled the thread too quickly.
il aurait défaufilé Il aurait défaufilé le pull. He would have unraveled the sweater.
elle aurait défaufilé Elle aurait défaufilé le tissu. She would have unraveled the fabric.
on aurait défaufilé On aurait défaufilé la couture. One would have unraveled the seam.
nous aurions défaufilé Nous aurions défaufilé le vêtement. We would have unraveled the garment.
vous auriez défaufilé Vous auriez défaufilé le ruban. You would have unraveled the ribbon.
ils auraient défaufilé Ils auraient défaufilé le chandail. They would have unraveled the sweater.
elles auraient défaufilé Elles auraient défaufilé la laine. They (female) would have unraveled the yarn.

Other Conjugations for Défaufiler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défaufiler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Défaufiler – 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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