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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déjouer

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The English translation of the French verb déjouer is “to thwart” or “to foil.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-zhoo-ay.”

Déjouer comes from the Old French word desjouer, meaning “to cancel” or “to annul.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical past action or situation.

Here are three simple examples of déjouer in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais suivi ton conseil, j’aurais déjoué les plans de mon chef. (If I had followed your advice, I would have thwarted my boss’s plans.)

  2. Ils auraient déjoué le système de sécurité sans se faire remarquer. (They would have foiled the security system without being noticed.)

  3. Je me serais déjoué du danger si j’avais été plus vigilant. (I would have avoided the danger if I had been more careful.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais déjoué Si j’avais eu plus de temps, je t’aurais déjoué. If I had had more time, I would have fooled you.
tu aurais déjoué Tu aurais déjoué mes plans. You would have thwarted my plans.
il aurait déjoué Il aurait déjoué le piège. He would have avoided the trap.
elle aurait déjoué Elle aurait déjoué l’attaque. She would have foiled the attack.
on aurait déjoué On aurait déjoué leurs plans. One would have foiled their plans.
nous aurions déjoué Nous aurions déjoué leur complot. We would have foiled their plot.
vous auriez déjoué Vous auriez déjoué les plans ennemis. You would have foiled the enemy’s plans.
ils auraient déjoué Ils auraient déjoué la surveillance. They would have eluded surveillance.
elles auraient déjoué Elles auraient déjoué les contrôles. They (female) would have evaded the controls.

Other Conjugations for Déjouer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déjouer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Déjouer – 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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