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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépêcher

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The English translation of the French verb dépêcher is “to hurry” or “to rush.” The infinitive form, dépêcher, is pronounced as “day-pesh-ay.”

The word dépêcher comes from the Old French word “despechier,” which means “to send away.” It is derived from the Latin word “displicare,” which means “to unfold or explain.” In everyday French, dépêcher is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of dépêcher in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su que tu étais pressé, je me serais dépêché de te donner les documents. (If I had known you were in a hurry, I would have rushed to give you the documents.)
  2. Elles se seraient dépêchées de finir leur travail si elles avaient eu plus de temps. (They would have hurried to finish their work if they had had more time.)
  3. Tu te serais sûrement dépêché si tu avais su qu’il y avait une promotion aujourd’hui. (You would have definitely rushed if you had known there was a sale today.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dépêché Si j’avais su, je t’aurais dépêché. I would have sent you quickly.
tu aurais dépêché Tu aurais dépêché plus tôt. You would have sent earlier.
il aurait dépêché Il aurait dépêché du courrier. He would have sent mail.
elle aurait dépêché Elle aurait dépêché son colis. She would have sent her package.
on aurait dépêché On aurait dépêché des secours. One would have sent help.
nous aurions dépêché Nous aurions dépêché des invitations. We would have sent invitations.
vous auriez dépêché Vous auriez dépêché un email. You would have sent an email.
ils auraient dépêché Ils auraient dépêché des soldats. They would have sent soldiers.
elles auraient dépêché Elles auraient dépêché des lettres. They (female) would have sent letters.

Other Conjugations for Dépêcher.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépêcher
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dépêcher – 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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