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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défourailler

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The English translation of the French verb défourailler is “to shoot repeatedly”. It is pronounced “day-foo-ray-yay”.

Défourailler comes from the word “fourailler” which means to shoot or fire. The prefix “dé-” adds emphasis to the action, so défourailler can be translated as “to shoot intensely” or “to shoot repeatedly”.

In everyday French, défourailler is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to talk about a hypothetical or imaginary action in the past. This tense is typically used in conjunction with the conditional mood to express a situation that would have occurred in the past if certain conditions were met.

Example 1: Si j’avais su, j’aurais défouraillé ce chien méchant. (If I had known, I would have shot that mean dog.)

Example 2: Elle aurait défouraillé tous ses ennemis si elle en avait eu l’occasion. (She would have shot all her enemies if she had the chance.)

Example 3: Nous aurions défouraillé tous les ballons si nous avions eu plus de temps. (We would have shot all the balloons if we had more time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais défouraillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais défouraillé. I would have shot at you.
tu aurais défouraillé Tu aurais défouraillé plus tôt. You would have shot earlier.
il aurait défouraillé Il aurait défouraillé plus de fois. He would have shot more times.
elle aurait défouraillé Elle aurait défouraillé à sa mère. She would have shot at her mother.
on aurait défouraillé On aurait défouraillé ensemble. One would have shot together.
nous aurions défouraillé Nous aurions défouraillé en équipe. We would have shot as a team.
vous auriez défouraillé Vous auriez défouraillé dans la rue. You would have shot in the street.
ils auraient défouraillé Ils auraient défouraillé pour s’amuser. They would have shot for fun.
elles auraient défouraillé Elles auraient défouraillé en secret. They (female) would have shot in secret.

Other Conjugations for Défourailler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défourailler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Défourailler – 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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