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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déhouiller

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The English translation of the French verb déhouiller is “to strip” or “to peel off”. It is pronounced as “day-hwee-yay” in its infinitive form.

Déhouiller comes from the French word “houille”, which means “coal”. The verb déhouiller is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action that would have been completed in the past.

Example 1: Si j’avais su, j’aurais déhouillé les légumes hier soir. (If I had known, I would have peeled the vegetables last night.)

Example 2: Il aurait déhouillé l’écorce de l’arbre si elle n’était pas si dure. (He would have stripped the bark of the tree if it wasn’t so tough.)

Example 3: Nous aurions déhouillé les murs avant de les repeindre. (We would have scraped the walls before repainting them.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known, I would have peeled the vegetables last night.
  2. He would have stripped the bark of the tree if it wasn’t so tough.
  3. We would have scraped the walls before repainting them.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais déhouillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais déhouillé. I would have skinned you if I had known.
tu aurais déhouillé Tu aurais déhouillé avant moi. You would have skinned before me.
il aurait déhouillé Il aurait déhouillé le poisson. He would have gutted the fish.
elle aurait déhouillé Elle aurait déhouillé son adversaire. She would have defeated her opponent.
on aurait déhouillé On aurait déhouillé les ennemis. One would have defeated the enemies.
nous aurions déhouillé Nous aurions déhouillé l’équipe adverse. We would have beaten the opposing team.
vous auriez déhouillé Vous auriez déhouillé tous les concurrents. You would have defeated all the competitors.
ils auraient déhouillé Ils auraient déhouillé la montagne. They would have conquered the mountain.
elles auraient déhouillé Elles auraient déhouillé leurs ennemies. They (female) would have vanquished their enemies.

Other Conjugations for Déhouiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déhouiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Déhouiller – 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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