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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb digresser

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The English translation of the French verb digresser is “to digress.” It is pronounced “dee-greh-seh” in its infinitive form.

The language origin of digresser can be traced back to the Latin word “digredi,” meaning “to go away” or “to separate.” In everyday French, digresser is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which indicates a conditional action or event that would have occurred in the past.

Three simple examples of digresser in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais suivi mon plan initial, je n’aurais pas digressé pendant mon discours. (If I had followed my initial plan, I wouldn’t have digressed during my speech.)
  2. Nous aurions gagné du temps si nous n’avions pas digressé de notre sujet principal. (We would have saved time if we hadn’t digressed from our main topic.)
  3. Il aurait été plus intéressant si l’auteur n’avait pas digressé dans son roman. (It would have been more interesting if the author hadn’t digressed in his novel.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais digressé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais digressé. I would have digressed with you.
tu aurais digressé Tu aurais digressé plus tôt. You would have digressed earlier.
il aurait digressé Il aurait digressé du sujet. He would have digressed from the topic.
elle aurait digressé Elle aurait digressé avec sa famille. She would have digressed with her family.
on aurait digressé On aurait digressé sur ce sujet. One would have digressed about this subject.
nous aurions digressé Nous aurions digressé ensemble. We would have digressed together.
vous auriez digressé Vous auriez digressé avec eux. You would have digressed with them.
ils auraient digressé Ils auraient digressé de la discussion. They would have digressed from the discussion.
elles auraient digressé Elles auraient digressé lors de leur voyage. They (female) would have digressed during their trip.

Other Conjugations for Digresser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb digresser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Digresser – 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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