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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dénatter

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The English translation of the French verb dénatter is “to untangle” or “to comb out”. It is pronounced as “day-nah-tay”.

The word dénatter comes from the French word “natter” which means “to plait” or “to braid”. It is derived from the Latin word “nodo” which means “to tie” or “to knot”.

In everyday French, dénatter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action in the past. It is usually used in the past tense to indicate a hypothetical action that could have taken place but did not.

Here are three simple examples of dénatter being used in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais dénatté mes cheveux avant la soirée, j’aurais eu l’air plus présentable. (If I had untangled my hair before the party, I would have looked more presentable.)

  2. Nous aurions dénatté la pelote de laine si nous avions eu plus de temps. (We would have untangled the ball of yarn if we had more time.)

  3. Il aurait dénatté ses fils électriques avant de les brancher. (He would have untangled his electrical wires before plugging them in.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dénatté J’aurais dénatté mes cheveux. I would have untangled my hair.
tu aurais dénatté Tu aurais dénatté leur dispute. You would have untangled their argument.
il aurait dénatté Il aurait dénatté les cordes. He would have untangled the ropes.
elle aurait dénatté Elle aurait dénatté ses idées. She would have untangled her thoughts.
on aurait dénatté On aurait dénatté l’embouteillage. One would have untangled the traffic jam.
nous aurions dénatté Nous aurions dénatté nos problèmes. We would have untangled our problems.
vous auriez dénatté Vous auriez dénatté vos cheveux. You would have untangled your hair.
ils auraient dénatté Ils auraient dénatté leur relation. They would have untangled their relationship.
elles auraient dénatté Elles auraient dénatté les fils électriques. They (female) would have untangled the electrical wires.

Other Conjugations for Dénatter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dénatter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dénatter – 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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