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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépouiller

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The English translation of the French verb dépouiller is “to strip” or “to plunder.” The infinitive form, dépouiller, is pronounced “day-pwee-yay.”

The word dépouiller comes from the Latin word “depilare” which means “to pluck” or “to remove hair.” In everyday French, dépouiller is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or possible action that would have occurred in the past.

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

  1. Si j’avais pu, je t’aurais dépouillé de tous tes biens. (If I had been able to, I would have stripped you of all your belongings.)
  2. Nous aurions dépouillé la maison avant de la vendre. (We would have emptied the house before selling it.)
  3. Ils se seraient dépouillés de leurs vêtements si le soleil n’était pas revenu. (They would have taken off their clothes if the sun had not come back.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dépouillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais dépouillé. I would have stripped you.
tu aurais dépouillé Tu aurais dépouillé ta victime. You would have robbed your victim.
il aurait dépouillé Il aurait dépouillé tous ses ennemis. He would have stripped all of his enemies.
elle aurait dépouillé Elle aurait dépouillé son mari. She would have stripped her husband.
on aurait dépouillé On aurait dépouillé cette maison. One would have stripped this house.
nous aurions dépouillé Nous aurions dépouillé ces gens. We would have stripped these people.
vous auriez dépouillé Vous auriez dépouillé ces riches. You would have stripped these rich people.
ils auraient dépouillé Ils auraient dépouillé les magasins. They would have robbed the stores.
elles auraient dépouillé Elles auraient dépouillé les voleurs. They (female) would have robbed the thieves.

Other Conjugations for Dépouiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépouiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dépouiller – 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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