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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dessiller

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The English translation of the French verb dessiller is “to open someone’s eyes” or “to remove the blinders.”

The infinitive form of dessiller is pronounced as “deh-see-yay.”

The word dessiller comes from the old French word “siller,” which means “to saddle a horse.” It originated from the Latin word “sellare,” meaning “to saddle.” Over time, the meaning of the verb evolved to also include the idea of removing something that obstructs one’s vision.

In everyday French, dessiller is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the conditional tense and the past participle “dessillé.”

Here are three simple examples of dessiller used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Si tu avais dessillé tes yeux, tu aurais vu la vérité. (If you had opened your eyes, you would have seen the truth.)

  2. J’aurais dessillé son esprit si j’avais su qu’il était si fermé d’esprit. (I would have opened his mind if I had known he was so closed-minded.)

  3. Elle aurait dessillé leur conscience en leur montrant la réalité de la situation. (She would have opened their conscience by showing them the reality of the situation.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dessillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais dessillé. I would have opened your eyes.
tu aurais dessillé Tu aurais dessillé plus tôt. You would have opened your eyes earlier.
il aurait dessillé Il aurait dessillé la vérité. He would have opened his eyes to the truth.
elle aurait dessillé Elle aurait dessillé un nouveau monde. She would have opened her eyes to a new world.
on aurait dessillé On aurait dessillé nos esprits. One would have opened our minds.
nous aurions dessillé Nous aurions dessillé nos coeurs. We would have opened our hearts.
vous auriez dessillé Vous auriez dessillé vos yeux. You would have opened your eyes.
ils auraient dessillé Ils auraient dessillé la réalité. They would have opened their eyes to reality.
elles auraient dessillé Elles auraient dessillé leur esprit. They (female) would have opened their minds.

Other Conjugations for Dessiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dessiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dessiller – 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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