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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démener

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The English translation of the French verb démener is “to struggle” or “to make great efforts”. It is pronounced as “dey-meh-nay”.

The word démener comes from the Old French word “demener” which means “to lead, guide, or manage”. It later evolved into “demeiner” in Middle French, which meant “to exert oneself, to be tormented, or to struggle”. This verb is primarily used in spoken French and is often used in its reflexive form “se démener” which means “to struggle or to hustle”.

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense is used to express a hypothetical or unrealized action 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 the main verb.

Here are three examples of how démener is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, je me serais démênée pour te trouver des billets pour le concert. (If I had known, I would have struggled to find tickets for the concert.)
  2. Il se serait déméné pour réussir son examen, s’il avait étudié plus dur. (He would have made great efforts to pass his exam, if he had studied harder.)
  3. Si elle avait eu plus de temps, elle se serait démênée pour terminer son projet à temps. (If she had had more time, she would have struggled to finish her project on time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais déméné Si j’avais su, je me serais déméné pour lui. If I had known, I would have gone to great lengths for him/her.
tu te serais déméné Tu te serais déméné pour réussir. You would have gone to great lengths to succeed.
il se serait déméné Il se serait déméné pour aider sa famille. He would have gone to great lengths to help his family.
elle se serait déméné Elle se serait déméné pour gagner le match. She would have gone to great lengths to win the game.
on se serait déméné On se serait déméné pour sauver l’environnement. One would have gone to great lengths to save the environment.
nous nous serions déméné Nous nous serions déméné pour trouver une solution. We would have gone to great lengths to find a solution.
vous vous seriez déméné Vous vous seriez déméné pour trouver un emploi. You would have gone to great lengths to find a job.
ils se seraient déménés Ils se seraient déménés pour démarrer une entreprise. They would have gone to great lengths to start a business.
elles se seraient déménées Elles se seraient déménées pour soutenir leur communauté. They (female) would have gone to great lengths to support their community.

Other Conjugations for Démener.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démener
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Démener – 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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