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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévoyer

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The English translation of the French verb dévoyer is “to lead astray” or “to mislead.” It is pronounced as “day-vwah-yay” in the infinitive form.

Dévoyer comes from the French word “voix” meaning “voice” and the prefix “de-” which denotes a negation or reversal. The literal translation of dévoyer is “to take someone off their path or lead them away from their voice.”

In everyday French, dévoyer is most commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past. It is formed by combining the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” with the past participle of the verb dévoyer.

Here are three examples of dévoyer used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, je ne t’aurais pas dévoyé de ton objectif. (If I had known, I wouldn’t have led you away from your goal.)
  2. Il aurait été dévoyé par ses mauvaises fréquentations. (He would have been led astray by his bad influences.)
  3. Nous serions dévoyés si nous avions écouté ces fausses informations. (We would have been misled if we had listened to those false information.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dévoyé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais dévoyé. I would have led you astray.
tu aurais dévoyé Tu aurais dévoyé plus tôt. You would have led astray earlier.
il aurait dévoyé Il aurait dévoyé ses amis. He would have led his friends astray.
elle aurait dévoyé Elle aurait dévoyé ses collègues. She would have led her colleagues astray.
on aurait dévoyé On aurait dévoyé la jeunesse. One would have led the youth astray.
nous aurions dévoyé Nous aurions dévoyé leurs plans. We would have led their plans astray.
vous auriez dévoyé Vous auriez dévoyé les enfants. You would have led the children astray.
ils auraient dévoyé Ils auraient dévoyé leurs croyances. They would have led their beliefs astray.
elles auraient dévoyé Elles auraient dévoyé leurs valeurs. They (female) would have led their values astray.

Other Conjugations for Dévoyer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévoyer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dévoyer – 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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