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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb drainer

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The English translation of the French verb drainer is “to drain.” It is pronounced “dray-nay.”

The word drainer comes from the Latin word “drainare,” meaning “to drain.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses the hypothetical past.

Example 1: Si j’avais su, j’aurais drainer l’eau de la baignoire. (If I had known, I would have drained the water from the bathtub.)
Example 2: Nous aurions dû drainer le terrain avant la construction de la maison. (We should have drained the land before building the house.)
Example 3: S’il avait plu, les champs auraient été inondés, mais nous aurions heureusement pu les drainer à temps. (If it had rained, the fields would have been flooded, but we were luckily able to drain them in time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais drainé Si j’avais de l’eau, je l’aurais drainé. If I had water, I would have drained it.
tu aurais drainé Tu aurais drainé la baignoire. You would have drained the bathtub.
il aurait drainé Il aurait drainé les sols. He would have drained the floors.
elle aurait drainé Elle aurait drainé les canalisations. She would have drained the pipes.
on aurait drainé On aurait drainé le lac. One would have drained the lake.
nous aurions drainé Nous aurions drainé la piscine. We would have drained the pool.
vous auriez drainé Vous auriez drainé le système. You would have drained the system.
ils auraient drainé Ils auraient drainé les champs. They would have drained the fields.
elles auraient drainé Elles auraient drainé la rivière. They (female) would have drained the river.

Other Conjugations for Drainer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb drainer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Drainer – 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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