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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défretter

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The English translation of the French verb défretter is “to de-wrinkle” or “to iron out wrinkles.” It is pronounced “day-freh-tay.”

Défretter is derived from the French word “frette” which means “wrinkle” and the prefix “de-” which means “to undo.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the act of removing wrinkles from clothing or fabric.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, défretter is used to express a hypothetical situation or an action that would have been completed in the past if certain conditions had been met. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais défretté ma chemise avant de partir. (If I had had more time, I would have ironed out my shirt before leaving.)
  2. Il aurait mieux valu que tu défrettes ta robe avant de la mettre. (You should have ironed out your dress before wearing it.)
  3. Nous aurions défretté nos costumes ensemble si tu avais apporté ton fer à repasser. (We would have ironed out our suits together if you had brought your iron.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais défretté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais défretté. I would have removed wrinkles from your clothes.
tu aurais défretté Tu aurais défretté plus tôt. You would have removed wrinkles earlier.
il aurait défretté Il aurait défretté ses vêtements. He would have removed wrinkles from his clothes.
elle aurait défretté Elle aurait défretté sa robe. She would have removed wrinkles from her dress.
on aurait défretté On aurait défretté les chemises. One would have removed wrinkles from the shirts.
nous aurions défretté Nous aurions défretté nos costumes. We would have removed wrinkles from our suits.
vous auriez défretté Vous auriez défretté vos jupes. You would have removed wrinkles from your skirts.
ils auraient défretté Ils auraient défretté leur linge. They would have removed wrinkles from their laundry.
elles auraient défretté Elles auraient défretté leurs vêtements. They (female) would have removed wrinkles from their clothes.

Other Conjugations for Défretter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défretter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Défretter – 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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