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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévisager

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The English translation of the French verb dévisager is “to stare at” or “to scrutinize.” The infinitive form, dévisager, is pronounced “day-vee-sah-zhay.”

Dévisager comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” meaning “down” and “visage” meaning “face.” It literally means “to look down at someone’s face.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses actions that would have taken place if certain conditions had been met in the past.

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

  1. Si tu avais dévisagé le voleur, nous aurions pu le reconnaître. (If you had stared at the thief, we could have recognized him.)

  2. J’aurais aimé dévisager le coupable pour voir s’il mentait. (I would have liked to stare at the culprit to see if he was lying.)

  3. Elle aurait dévisagé l’acteur pendant tout le film, mais elle ne l’a jamais reconnu. (She would have scrutinized the actor throughout the movie, but she never recognized him.)

In these examples, dévisager is used to express the act of staring at someone or something in a deliberate and intense manner. The use of the Conditionnel Passé tense adds a sense of speculation or possibility to the action, suggesting that it could have happened under different circumstances.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dévisagé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais dévisagé. I would have stared at you.
tu aurais dévisagé Tu aurais dévisagé plus tôt. You would have stared earlier.
il aurait dévisagé Il aurait dévisagé la peinture. He would have stared at the painting.
elle aurait dévisagé Elle aurait dévisagé son collègue. She would have stared at her colleague.
on aurait dévisagé On aurait dévisagé tout le monde. One would have stared at everyone.
nous aurions dévisagé Nous aurions dévisagé en silence. We would have stared in silence.
vous auriez dévisagé Vous auriez dévisagé avec curiosité. You would have stared curiously.
ils auraient dévisagé Ils auraient dévisagé l’étranger. They would have stared at the stranger.
elles auraient dévisagé Elles auraient dévisagé les touristes. They (female) would have stared at the tourists.

Other Conjugations for Dévisager.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévisager
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dévisager – 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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