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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défiger

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The English translation of the French verb défiger is “to defrost.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-fee-zhay.”

Défiger is derived from the Latin word “disfigere,” which means “to unmake” or “to destroy.” It first appeared in the French language in the 14th century and was primarily used in the context of food preservation. Over time, it has evolved to also encompass the process of thawing or melting something that has been frozen.

In everyday French, défiger is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action in the past. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of défiger.

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

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais défigé le poulet hier soir. (If I had known, I would have defrosted the chicken last night.)

  2. Elle aurait défigé la viande avant de la cuisiner si elle avait eu plus de temps. (She would have thawed the meat before cooking it if she had more time.)

  3. Nous serions arrivés à temps si nous avions défigé le poisson plus tôt. (We would have arrived on time if we had defrosted the fish earlier.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais défigé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais défigé. If I had known, I would have disfigured you.
tu aurais défigé Tu aurais défigé plus tôt. You would have disfigured earlier.
il aurait défigé Il aurait défigé le tableau. He would have disfigured the painting.
elle aurait défigé Elle aurait défigé sa sœur. She would have disfigured her sister.
on aurait défigé On aurait défigé tous les miroirs. One would have disfigured all the mirrors.
nous aurions défigé Nous aurions défigé la statue. We would have disfigured the statue.
vous auriez défigé Vous auriez défigé le visage de votre ennemi. You would have disfigured your enemy’s face.
ils auraient défigé Ils auraient défigé la ville. They would have disfigured the city.
elles auraient défigé Elles auraient défigé leurs ennemies. They (female) would have disfigured their enemies.

Other Conjugations for Défiger.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défiger
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Défiger – 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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