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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dessoûler

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The English translation of the French verb dessoûler is “to sober up.” The infinitive form of dessoûler is pronounced as “deh-soo-lay.”

The word dessoûler is derived from the prefix “des-” meaning “undo” or “reverse” and the word “soûl” meaning “drunk.” It can be traced back to the Latin word “sollutus” meaning “loose” or “relaxed.”

In everyday French, dessoûler is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to describe an action that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of dessoûler in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si je n’avais pas bu autant de vin, je me serais dessoûlé plus vite. (If I hadn’t drank so much wine, I would have sobered up faster.)

  2. Nous aurions dû arrêter de boire plus tôt pour éviter d’être dessoûlés maintenant. (We should have stopped drinking earlier to avoid being sobered up now.)

  3. Ils se seraient dessoûlés avant de rentrer chez eux, mais ils ont choisi de rester plus longtemps au bar. (They would have sobered up before going home, but they chose to stay longer at the bar.)

In these examples, dessoûler is used to describe the hypothetical outcome of a past action if certain conditions were met. It is often used in conversation to express regret or to suggest a different outcome.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dessoulé Si j’avais su, je me serais dessoulé. If I had known, I would have sobered up.
tu aurais dessoulé Tu aurais dessoulé plus tôt. You would have sobered up earlier.
il aurait dessoulé Il aurait dessoulé avant de conduire. He would have sobered up before driving.
elle aurait dessoulé Elle aurait dessoulé rapidement. She would have sobered up quickly.
on aurait dessoulé On aurait dessoulé en même temps. One would have sobered up at the same time.
nous aurions dessoulé Nous aurions dessoulé ensemble. We would have sobered up together.
vous auriez dessoulé Vous auriez dessoulé avec nous. You would have sobered up with us.
ils auraient dessoulé Ils auraient dessoulé avant le repas. They would have sobered up before dinner.
elles auraient dessoulé Elles auraient dessoulé après le mariage. They (female) would have sobered up after the wedding.

Other Conjugations for Dessoûler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dessoûler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dessoûler – 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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