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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délimiter

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The English translation of the French verb délimiter is “to delimit” or “to set boundaries”. It is pronounced as “day-lee-mee-tay” in its infinitive form.

Délimiter comes from the Latin word “delimitare” which means “to mark out”. It is a regular -er verb in French and is most commonly used in its infinitive and present tense forms.

In everyday French, délimiter is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or possible action that would have taken place in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense followed by the past participle of délimiter (délimité).

Here are three simple examples of délimiter in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their corresponding English translations:

  1. Si j’avais délimité mon territoire, je n’aurais pas de problèmes avec mes voisins.
    (If I had delimited my territory, I wouldn’t have any problems with my neighbors.)

  2. Nous serions allés plus loin si nous avions délimité notre parcours avant de partir.
    (We would have gone further if we had delimited our route before leaving.)

  3. Tu aurais pu gagner si tu avais délimité tes objectifs dès le début.
    (You could have won if you had delimited your goals from the start.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais délimité Si j’avais plus de temps, j’aurais délimité le terrain. If I had more time, I would have delimited the land.
tu aurais délimité Tu aurais délimité la zone. You would have delimited the area.
il aurait délimité Il aurait délimité le parcours. He would have delimited the route.
elle aurait délimité Elle aurait délimité le jardin. She would have delimited the garden.
on aurait délimité On aurait délimité les frontières. One would have delimited the borders.
nous aurions délimité Nous aurions délimité la surface. We would have delimited the surface.
vous auriez délimité Vous auriez délimité le périmètre. You would have delimited the perimeter.
ils auraient délimité Ils auraient délimité les zones d’ombre. They would have delimited the shaded areas.
elles auraient délimité Elles auraient délimité les limites. They (female) would have delimited the limits.

Other Conjugations for Délimiter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délimiter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Délimiter – 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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