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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démasquer

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of démasquer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb démasquer is “to unmask.” The infinitive form is pronounced “deh-mah-skeh.”

Démasquer comes from the Latin word “demasculare,” meaning “to take off one’s mask.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais été plus intelligent, j’aurais démasqué le menteur. (If I had been more intelligent, I would have unmasked the liar.)
  2. Elle aurait démasqué le voleur si elle avait été présente. (She would have unmasked the thief if she had been present.)
  3. Ils se seraient démasqués s’ils avaient su que je les observais. (They would have unmasked themselves if they had known I was watching them.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais démasqué Si j’avais su, je t’aurais démasqué. I would have unmasked you.
tu aurais démasqué Tu aurais démasqué plus tôt. You would have unmasked earlier.
il aurait démasqué Il aurait démasqué le menteur. He would have unmasked the liar.
elle aurait démasqué Elle aurait démasqué l’imposteur. She would have unmasked the impostor.
on aurait démasqué On aurait démasqué la vérité. One would have uncovered the truth.
nous aurions démasqué Nous aurions démasqué le coupable. We would have unmasked the culprit.
vous auriez démasqué Vous auriez démasqué avec nous. You would have unmasked with us.
ils auraient démasqué Ils auraient démasqué le complot. They would have uncovered the plot.
elles auraient démasqué Elles auraient démasqué le menteur. They (female) would have unmasked the liar.

Other Conjugations for Démasquer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démasquer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the démasquer Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Démasquer – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb démasquer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts