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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dérouler

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The English translation of dérouler is “to unroll” or “to unfold.” It is pronounced as “day-roo-lay” in its infinitive form.

The verb dérouler comes from the Latin word “discupulare,” meaning “to unroll.” It is often used in everyday French to describe the action of unfurling or unwinding something, both literally and figuratively.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, dérouler is used to describe an action that would have been completed in the past, if certain conditions had been met. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais déroulé le tapis rouge pour toi. (If I had had more time, I would have unrolled the red carpet for you.)

  2. Nous serions allés au bord de la mer si nous avions déroulé la carte plus tôt. (We would have gone to the seaside if we had unfolded the map earlier.)

  3. J’aurais aimé dérouler mes pensées devant toi, mais je n’ai pas eu l’occasion. (I would have liked to unfold my thoughts to you, but I didn’t have the opportunity.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais déroulé J’aurais déroulé le tapis rouge. I would have rolled out the red carpet.
tu aurais déroulé Tu aurais déroulé le fil. You would have unrolled the thread.
il aurait déroulé Il aurait déroulé le parchemin. He would have unrolled the parchment.
elle aurait déroulé Elle aurait déroulé le film. She would have unrolled the film.
on aurait déroulé On aurait déroulé tout le scénario. One would have unrolled the whole scenario.
nous aurions déroulé Nous aurions déroulé le tapis vert. We would have unrolled the green carpet.
vous auriez déroulé Vous auriez déroulé la bannière. You would have unrolled the banner.
ils auraient déroulé Ils auraient déroulé le drapeau. They would have unrolled the flag.
elles auraient déroulé Elles auraient déroulé la corde. They (female) would have unrolled the rope.

Other Conjugations for Dérouler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dérouler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dérouler – 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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