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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désavouer

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The English translation of the French verb désavouer is “to disavow” or “to disown.” It is pronounced “day-zah-voo-ay.”

The word désavouer comes from the Old French word “desavouer,” which is derived from the Latin word “dis-” meaning “apart” and the verb “avouer” meaning “to confess.” In everyday French, désavouer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action in the past.

Example 1: Si j’avais su, j’aurais désavoué mon frère. (If I had known, I would have disowned my brother.)

Example 2: Elle aurait désavoué ses anciens amis si elle avait découvert leur trahison. (She would have disavowed her former friends if she had discovered their betrayal.)

Example 3: Nous aurions désavoué notre faute si nous avions été démasqués. (We would have disavowed our mistake if we had been caught.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais désavoué J’aurais désavoué mes actions. I would have disowned my actions.
tu aurais désavoué Tu aurais désavoué ton amie. You would have disavowed your friend.
il aurait désavoué Il aurait désavoué sa parole. He would have disavowed his word.
elle aurait désavoué Elle aurait désavoué ses responsabilités. She would have disavowed her responsibilities.
on aurait désavoué On aurait désavoué nos choix. One would have disavowed our choices.
nous aurions désavoué Nous aurions désavoué le groupe. We would have disavowed the group.
vous auriez désavoué Vous auriez désavoué cette décision. You would have disavowed this decision.
ils auraient désavoué Ils auraient désavoué leurs actions. They would have disavowed their actions.
elles auraient désavoué Elles auraient désavoué leurs parents. They (female) would have disavowed their parents.

Other Conjugations for Désavouer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Désavouer – 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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