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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démarcher

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The English translation of the French verb démarcher is “to approach” or “to canvass.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-mar-shay.”

Démarcher comes from the French word “démarche,” which means “a step” or “a process.” It is derived from the Old French word “marchier,” meaning “to walk.” In everyday French, démarcher is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which indicates a conditional or hypothetical action that has already been completed.

Here are three simple examples of the usage of démarcher in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais démarché tous les clients, j’aurais obtenu plus de ventes. (If I had approached all the clients, I would have gotten more sales.)

  2. Elle m’aurait appelé si je l’avais démarchée plus tôt. (She would have called me if I had approached her earlier.)

  3. Nous aurions trouvé un accord si vous aviez démarché la situation différemment. (We would have reached an agreement if you had approached the situation differently.)

English translations:

  1. If I had approached all the clients, I would have gotten more sales.

  2. She would have called me if I had approached her earlier.

  3. We would have reached an agreement if you had approached the situation differently.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais démarché Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais démarché. If I had more time, I would have canvassed.
tu aurais démarché Tu aurais démarché tous les quartiers. You would have canvassed all neighborhoods.
il aurait démarché Il aurait démarché les entreprises. He would have canvassed businesses.
elle aurait démarché Elle aurait démarché les résidents. She would have canvassed residents.
on aurait démarché On aurait démarché les clients potentiels. One would have canvassed potential clients.
nous aurions démarché Nous aurions démarché les partenaires. We would have canvassed partners.
vous auriez démarché Vous auriez démarché les fournisseurs. You would have canvassed suppliers.
ils auraient démarché Ils auraient démarché les banques. They would have canvassed banks.
elles auraient démarché Elles auraient démarché les associations. They (female) would have canvassed associations.

Other Conjugations for Démarcher.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démarcher
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Démarcher – 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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