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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévaler

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The English translation of the French verb dévaler is “to rush down” or “to descend rapidly”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-vah-lay”.

Dévaler comes from the Old French word “desvaler” which means “to descend”. It is derived from the Latin word “de” meaning “down” and “vallare” meaning “to make a rampart”. In everyday French, dévaler is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or imagined action that would have happened in the past.

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

  1. Si j’avais su skier, j’aurais dévalé la piste en un temps record. (If I had known how to ski, I would have rushed down the slope in record time.)
  2. Elle aurait dévalé les escaliers si je ne l’avais pas rattrapée à temps. (She would have descended the stairs rapidly if I hadn’t caught her in time.)
  3. Nous aurions dévalé la montagne à vélo si la pluie ne s’était pas mise à tomber. (We would have rushed down the mountain on our bikes if it hadn’t started raining.)

In all of these examples, dévaler is used to describe a quick and rapid descent or movement. It is often used in the context of sports or physical activities, but can also be used in a more figurative sense to describe a rapid decline or decrease.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dévalé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais dévalé. I would have raced down if I had known.
tu aurais dévalé Tu aurais dévalé plus tôt. You would have raced down earlier.
il aurait dévalé Il aurait dévalé la montagne. He would have raced down the mountain.
elle aurait dévalé Elle aurait dévalé en ski. She would have skied down.
on aurait dévalé On aurait dévalé la pente. One would have raced down the slope.
nous aurions dévalé Nous aurions dévalé ensemble. We would have raced down together.
vous auriez dévalé Vous auriez dévalé avec nous. You would have raced down with us.
ils auraient dévalé Ils auraient dévalé la colline. They would have raced down the hill.
elles auraient dévalé Elles auraient dévalé en raquettes. They (females) would have snowshoed down.

Other Conjugations for Dévaler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévaler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dévaler – 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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