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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défouler

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The English translation of the French verb défouler is “to let off steam” or “to vent”. It is pronounced as “day-foo-lay”.

The word défouler comes from the French prefix “dé-” meaning “to undo” or “to release” and the word “foule” which means “crowd”. It is most often used in every day French to describe the act of releasing pent-up emotions or frustrations.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, défouler is used to talk about something that would have been vented or released in the past conditional. For example:

  1. Si j’avais eu une mauvaise journée, je me serais défoulé en allant courir. (If I had had a bad day, I would have let off steam by going for a run.)

  2. Nous nous serions défoulés en dansant toute la nuit si nous n’avions pas eu à travailler le lendemain. (We would have vented by dancing all night if we didn’t have to work the next day.)

  3. Si tu avais été là, tu te serais défoulé sur cette piñata avec nous. (If you had been there, you would have joined us in venting on this piñata.)

In all of these examples, the verb défouler is used in the conditional form “je me serais défoulé” (I would have let off steam) or “tu te serais défoulé” (you would have let off steam) to talk about something that could have happened in the past but didn’t.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais défolé Si j’avais su, je me serais défolé I would have let off steam.
tu te serais défolé Tu te serais défolé pour rien. You would have vented for nothing.
il se serait défolé Il se serait défolé après le match. He would have let off steam after the game.
elle se serait défolée Elle se serait défolée toute la journée. She would have vented all day.
on se serait défolé On se serait défolé n’importe quand. One would have let off steam anytime.
nous nous serions défolés Nous nous serions défolés en équipe. We would have let off steam as a team.
vous vous seriez défolés Vous vous seriez défolés ensemble. You would have let off steam together.
ils se seraient défolés Ils se seraient défolés en groupe. They would have let off steam as a group.
elles se seraient défolées Elles se seraient défolées après le travail. They (female) would have let off steam after work.

Other Conjugations for Défouler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défouler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Défouler – 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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