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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépénaliser

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The English translation of the French verb dépénaliser is “to decriminalize.” It is pronounced as “day-pay-nal-ee-zay.”

Dépénaliser comes from the French word pénal, which means “criminal” or “penal.” The prefix dé- indicates a reversal or removal of something, so dépénaliser literally means “to remove the criminal aspect” or “to make something not punishable by law.”

In everyday French, dépénaliser is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which indicates a hypothetical or possible action that could have happened in the past. It is often used when discussing changes in laws or policies.

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

  1. Si le gouvernement avait dépénalisé la possession de marijuana, il y aurait eu moins de personnes en prison. (If the government had decriminalized marijuana possession, there would have been fewer people in prison.)

  2. Nous aurions dépénalisé le téléchargement illégal si cela n’avait pas été si difficile à contrôler. (We would have decriminalized illegal downloading if it hadn’t been so difficult to control.)

  3. Les avocats ont suggéré de dépénaliser la consommation de drogue pour réduire le nombre de crimes liés à la drogue. (Lawyers have suggested decriminalizing drug use to reduce the number of drug-related crimes.)

In these examples, dépénaliser is used to describe a potential action that could have happened in the past, but did not actually occur. In English, this is often expressed with “would have + past participle.”

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dépénalisé Si j’avais eu le pouvoir, je t’aurais dépénalisé. If I had the power, I would have decriminalized you.
tu aurais dépénalisé Tu aurais dépénalisé la drogue. You would have decriminalized drugs.
il aurait dépénalisé Il aurait dépénalisé l’avortement. He would have decriminalized abortion.
elle aurait dépénalisé Elle aurait dépénalisé l’euthanasie. She would have decriminalized euthanasia.
on aurait dépénalisé On aurait dépénalisé le divorce. One would have decriminalized divorce.
nous aurions dépénalisé Nous aurions dépénalisé la prostitution. We would have decriminalized prostitution.
vous auriez dépénalisé Vous auriez dépénalisé l’utilisation des drogues. You would have decriminalized drug use.
ils auraient dépénalisé Ils auraient dépénalisé la polygamie. They would have decriminalized polygamy.
elles auraient dépénalisé Elles auraient dépénalisé l’avortement. They (female) would have decriminalized abortion.

Other Conjugations for Dépénaliser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépénaliser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dépénaliser – 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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