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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépointer

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The English translation of the French verb dépointer is “to clock out.” It is pronounced as “deuh-pwan-tee-ay.”

The word dépointer is derived from the French word “pointe,” which means “point” or “tip.” In the context of work, dépointer refers to the act of punching out or marking the end of one’s work shift.

In everyday French, dépointer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to talk about a hypothetical past action or event. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of dépointer (dépointé).

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais dépointé plus tôt hier soir, je ne serais pas arrivé en retard à la fête. (If I had clocked out earlier last night, I wouldn’t have been late for the party.)
  2. Nous aurions dépointé à 19 heures, mais le patron nous a demandé de rester plus tard. (We would have clocked out at 7pm, but the boss asked us to stay later.)
  3. Si vous étiez venus dépointer à l’heure hier, vous n’auriez pas manqué le début du match. (If you had come to clock out on time yesterday, you wouldn’t have missed the start of the game.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dépointé Si j’avais pu, je t’aurais dépointé. I would have unpinned you.
tu aurais dépointé Tu aurais dépointé le tissu. You would have unpinned the fabric.
il aurait dépointé Il aurait dépointé la photo. He would have unpinned the photo.
elle aurait dépointé Elle aurait dépointé l’épingle. She would have unpinned the pin.
on aurait dépointé On aurait dépointé la carte. One would have unpinned the map.
nous aurions dépointé Nous aurions dépointé toutes les notes. We would have unpinned all the notes.
vous auriez dépointé Vous auriez dépointé la lettre. You would have unpinned the letter.
ils auraient dépointé Ils auraient dépointé les décorations. They would have unpinned the decorations.
elles auraient dépointé Elles auraient dépointé la robe. They (female) would have unpinned the dress.

Other Conjugations for Dépointer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépointer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dépointer – 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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