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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb disculper

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The English translation of the French verb disculper is “to exonerate” or “to clear someone’s name.” The infinitive form, disculper, is pronounced as “dee-skul-peh.”

The word disculper comes from the Latin word “disculpare,” meaning “to excuse.” It is a combination of the prefix “dis-” which indicates negation, and the word “culpa” meaning “fault” or “blame.”

In everyday French, the verb disculper is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais été présent à la réunion, j’aurais disculpé mon collègue. (If I had been present at the meeting, I would have exonerated my colleague.)

  2. Ils auraient pu disculper leur ami, mais ils ont préféré le laisser prendre tout le blâme. (They could have cleared their friend’s name, but they chose to let him take all the blame.)

  3. Si elle avait témoigné en sa faveur, il se serait disculpé de toutes les accusations. (If she had testified in his favor, he would have cleared himself of all the accusations.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais disculpé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais disculpé I would have cleared you.
tu aurais disculpé Tu aurais disculpé plus tôt. You would have cleared earlier.
il aurait disculpé Il aurait disculpé le suspect. He would have exonerated the suspect.
elle aurait disculpé Elle aurait disculpé son ami. She would have cleared her friend.
on aurait disculpé On aurait disculpé l’accusé. One would have cleared the accused.
nous aurions disculpé Nous aurions disculpé en équipe. We would have cleared as a team.
vous auriez disculpé Vous auriez disculpé avec preuve. You would have cleared with evidence.
ils auraient disculpé Ils auraient disculpé le coupable. They would have exonerated the guilty.
elles auraient disculpé Elles auraient disculpé leurs amis. They (female) would have cleared their friends.

Other Conjugations for Disculper.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb disculper
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Disculper – 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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