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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désiler

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The English translation of the French verb désiler is “to unravel” or “to unwind.” It is pronounced “dey-zee-lay.”

The word désiler comes from the French root “siler,” meaning “to twist or coil.” The prefix “dé-” adds the meaning of “undoing” or “undoing the action of twisting or coiling.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or future event that would have taken place in the past.

Examples of désiler in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais désilé cette pelote de laine. (If I had had more time, I would have unraveled this ball of yarn.)
  2. Nous aurions désilé ces vieux livres ensemble, mais tu as dû partir. (We would have unwound these old books together, but you had to leave.)
  3. Elle m’aurait aidé à désiler mes cheveux emmêlés si elle était restée. (She would have helped me unravel my tangled hair if she had stayed.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais désilé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais désilé. I would have untangled you.
tu aurais désilé Tu aurais désilé plus tôt. You would have untangled earlier.
il aurait désilé Il aurait désilé ses cheveux. He would have untangled his hair.
elle aurait désilé Elle aurait désilé la laine. She would have untangled the yarn.
on aurait désilé On aurait désilé cette situation. One would have untangled this situation.
nous aurions désilé Nous aurions désilé ensemble. We would have untangled together.
vous auriez désilé Vous auriez désilé avec eux. You would have untangled with them.
ils auraient désilé Ils auraient désilé les cordes. They would have untangled the ropes.
elles auraient désilé Elles auraient désilé les fils électriques. They (female) would have untangled the electrical wires.

Other Conjugations for Désiler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désiler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Désiler – 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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