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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délaver

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The English translation of the French verb délaver is “to fade” or “to wash out.” It is pronounced “day-la-vay.”

The word délaver comes from the Old French word delaver, which means “to wash out.” It is derived from the Latin word lavare, meaning “to wash.”

In everyday French, délaver is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary verb aurait and the past participle délavé.

Three examples of délaver in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais lavé mon jean avec de l’eau chaude, il se serait délavé. (If I had washed my jeans with hot water, they would have faded.)

  2. Elle aurait délavé ses cheveux s’ils avaient été trop foncés. (She would have washed out her hair if it had been too dark.)

  3. Nous aurions délavé les couleurs de notre drapeau en cas de pluie. (We would have faded the colors of our flag in case of rain.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais délavé Si j’avais su, j’aurais délavé ce tissu. If I had known, I would have faded this fabric.
tu aurais délavé Tu aurais délavé tes jeans. You would have faded your jeans.
il aurait délavé Il aurait délavé la couleur. He would have faded the color.
elle aurait délavé Elle aurait délavé son pull. She would have faded her sweater.
on aurait délavé On aurait délavé les draps. One would have faded the sheets.
nous aurions délavé Nous aurions délavé les vêtements. We would have faded the clothes.
vous auriez délavé Vous auriez délavé les chemises. You would have faded the shirts.
ils auraient délavé Ils auraient délavé les tapis. They would have faded the carpets.
elles auraient délavé Elles auraient délavé les serviettes. They (female) would have faded the towels.

Other Conjugations for Délaver.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délaver
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Délaver – 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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