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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépailler

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The English translation of the French verb dépailler is “to break up/pulverize/harvest straw.” It is pronounced as “day-pigh-yay.”

Dépailler comes from the French word “paille” meaning “straw” and the prefix “dé-” which often indicates an action in the opposite direction or undoing of something. In everyday French, dépailler is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action that would have taken place in the past if a certain condition had been met.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais eu le temps, j’aurais dépaillé tout le foin pour le bétail. (If I had had time, I would have broken up all the hay for the livestock.)
  2. Il aurait fallu dépailler le blé avant de le stocker pour éviter qu’il ne moisisse. (We should have harvested the wheat before storing it to prevent it from molding.)
  3. Si tu avais suivi mes conseils, tu n’aurais pas eu à dépailler toutes ces bottes de paille. (If you had followed my advice, you wouldn’t have had to break up all those bales of straw.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dépaillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais dépaillé. I would have removed the straw from you.
tu aurais dépaillé Tu aurais dépaillé plus tôt. You would have removed the straw earlier.
il aurait dépaillé Il aurait dépaillé la botte. He would have removed the straw from the bundle.
elle aurait dépaillé Elle aurait dépaillé le foin. She would have removed the straw from the hay.
on aurait dépaillé On aurait dépaillé le champ. One would have removed the straw from the field.
nous aurions dépaillé Nous aurions dépaillé ensemble. We would have removed the straw together.
vous auriez dépaillé Vous auriez dépaillé avec nous. You would have removed the straw with us.
ils auraient dépaillé Ils auraient dépaillé les bottes. They would have removed the straw from the bundles.
elles auraient dépaillé Elles auraient dépaillé toutes les bottes. They (female) would have removed the straw from all the bundles.

Other Conjugations for Dépailler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépailler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dépailler – 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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