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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défier

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The English translation of the French verb défier is “to challenge” or “to defy.” The infinitive form, défier, is pronounced as “day-FEE-ay.”

Défier comes from the Old French word desfier, which means “to renounce.” It can also be traced back to the Latin word disfidare, meaning “to distrust.”

In everyday French, défier is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or future action that would have occurred in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of défier (défié).

Here are three simple examples of défier used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais gagné cette partie, j’aurais défier le champion du monde. (If I had won this game, I would have challenged the world champion.)
  2. Nous serions allés à l’entraînement si nous avions défier le mauvais temps. (We would have gone to practice if we had defied the bad weather.)
  3. Elle aurait réussi son examen si elle n’avait pas défier les conseils de ses parents. (She would have passed her exam if she hadn’t defied her parents’ advice.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais défié J’aurais défié mes rivaux. I would have challenged my rivals.
tu aurais défié Tu aurais défié le champion. You would have challenged the champion.
il aurait défié Il aurait défié l’autorité. He would have defied authority.
elle aurait défié Elle aurait défié ses peurs. She would have defied her fears.
on aurait défié On aurait défié les règles. One would have defied the rules.
nous aurions défié Nous aurions défié l’équipe adverse. We would have challenged the opposing team.
vous auriez défié Vous auriez défié l’ennemi. You would have challenged the enemy.
ils auraient défié Ils auraient défié la nature. They would have defied nature.
elles auraient défié Elles auraient défié la société. They (female) would have defied society.

Other Conjugations for Défier.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défier
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Défier – 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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