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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déferler

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The English translation of the French verb déferler is “to roll in” or “to crash in.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “deh-fehr-lay.”

The word déferler comes from the Latin word “deflere,” meaning “to weep” or “to mourn.” It entered the French language in the 17th century and is most often used in everyday French in its Conditionnel Passé tense.

Examples of déferler in Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais suivi mes rêves, j’aurais déferlé sur le monde. (If I had followed my dreams, I would have taken the world by storm.)

  2. Il aurait déferlé sa colère sur moi si je lui avais dit la vérité. (He would have unleashed his anger on me if I had told him the truth.)

  3. Nous aurions déferlé sur la plage s’il n’y avait pas eu cette tempête. (We would have stormed the beach if there hadn’t been this storm.)

English translations:

  1. If I had followed my dreams, I would have taken the world by storm.

  2. He would have unleashed his anger on me if I had told him the truth.

  3. We would have stormed the beach if there hadn’t been this storm.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais déferlé Si j’avais su, je me serais déferlé. I would have unbridled myself.
tu aurais déferlé Tu aurais déferlé tes émotions. You would have let your emotions go.
il aurait déferlé Il aurait déferlé sa colère. He would have unleashed his anger.
elle aurait déferlé Elle aurait déferlé son amour. She would have unleashed her love.
on aurait déferlé On aurait déferlé ses pensées. One would have unleashed one’s thoughts.
nous aurions déferlé Nous aurions déferlé notre créativité. We would have unleashed our creativity.
vous auriez déferlé Vous auriez déferlé votre puissance. You would have unleashed your power.
ils auraient déferlé Ils auraient déferlé leur passion. They would have unleashed their passion.
elles auraient déferlé Elles auraient déferlé leur force. They (female) would have unleashed their strength.

Other Conjugations for Déferler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déferler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Déferler – 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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