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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défeuiller

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The English translation of the French verb défeuiller is “to strip the leaves off.” It is pronounced as “deh-fuh-yeh.”

The word défeuiller is derived from the Latin word “defolium,” meaning “to take the leaves off.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past.

Examples of défeuiller in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais défeuillé cet arbre, il serait mort maintenant. (If I had stripped the leaves off this tree, it would be dead now.)

  2. Tu aurais dû défeuiller ces plantes avant l’hiver. (You should have stripped the leaves off these plants before winter.)

  3. Ils se seraient plaints s’ils avaient vu que tu avais défeuillé leurs fleurs. (They would have complained if they had seen that you had stripped the leaves off their flowers.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais défleuri Si j’avais su, je t’aurais défleuri. I would have defoliated you.
tu aurais défleuri Tu aurais défleuri plus tôt. You would have defoliated earlier.
il aurait défleuri Il aurait défleuri le jardin. He would have defoliated the garden.
elle aurait défleuri Elle aurait défleuri ses plantes. She would have defoliated her plants.
on aurait défleuri On aurait défleuri les arbres. One would have defoliated the trees.
nous aurions défleuri Nous aurions défleuri la forêt. We would have defoliated the forest.
vous auriez défleuri Vous auriez défleuri avec nous. You would have defoliated with us.
ils auraient défleuri Ils auraient défleuri les champs. They would have defoliated the fields.
elles auraient défleuri Elles auraient défleuri leurs jardins. They (female) would have defoliated their gardens.

Other Conjugations for Défeuiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défeuiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Défeuiller – 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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