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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépecer

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The English translation of the French verb dépecer is “to carve” or “to cut up.” It is pronounced as “dey-peh-say” in the infinitive form.

Dépecer comes from the French word “pèce” which means “piece.” It has its roots in the Latin verb “piscari” which means “to fish.” In everyday French, dépecer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense.

Three simple examples of dépecer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais dépecé le poulet pour le dîner. (If I had more time, I would have carved the chicken for dinner.)

  2. Elle m’aurait dépecé en petits morceaux si je l’avais trahi. (She would have cut me up into small pieces if I had betrayed her.)

  3. Nous aurions dépecé la voiture pour en récupérer les pièces détachées. (We would have dismantled the car to salvage its spare parts.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dépecé J’aurais dépecé le lapin. I would have butchered the rabbit.
tu aurais dépecé Tu aurais dépecé la viande. You would have butchered the meat.
il aurait dépecé Il aurait dépecé le cerf. He would have butchered the deer.
elle aurait dépecé Elle aurait dépecé le poisson. She would have butchered the fish.
on aurait dépecé On aurait dépecé le sanglier. One would have butchered the wild boar.
nous aurions dépecé Nous aurions dépecé la volaille. We would have butchered the poultry.
vous auriez dépecé Vous auriez dépecé le porc. You would have butchered the pork.
ils auraient dépecé Ils auraient dépecé le gibier. They would have butchered the game.
elles auraient dépecé Elles auraient dépecé le mouton. They (female) would have butchered the lamb.

Other Conjugations for Dépecer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépecer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dépecer – 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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