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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décaper

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The English translation of the French verb décaper is “to strip” or “to remove”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-kah-pay”.

The word décaper comes from the Latin word “capere”, meaning “to seize” or “to take”. In French, it is most often used to describe the action of removing a layer or coating from a surface, such as paint, rust, or old varnish. It can also refer to the act of cleaning or polishing a surface by removing dirt or grime.

In the Conditionnel Présent tense, décaper is often used to express a possible or hypothetical action in the future. Here are three simple examples of its usage:

  1. Si je gagnais à la loterie, je décaperais toute la maison. (If I won the lottery, I would strip the entire house.)
  2. Nous décaperions le meuble en bois si nous avions plus de temps. (We would strip the wooden furniture if we had more time.)
  3. Tu décaperais mieux la baignoire si tu utilisais un produit spécifique. (You would strip the bathtub better if you used a specific product.)

In these examples, décaper is used to indicate a potential action that may or may not happen in the future. It is often paired with the verb “would” in English to express this conditional tense.

Table of the Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of décaper

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je décaperais Je décaperais la vieille peinture. I would strip the old paint.
tu décaperais Tu décaperais les meubles. You would strip the furniture.
il décaperait Il décaperait le sol en bois. He would strip the wooden floor.
elle décaperait Elle décaperait le métal. She would strip the metal.
on décaperait On décaperait le mur. One would strip the wall.
nous décaperions Nous décaperions le bateau. We would strip the boat.
vous décaperiez Vous décaperiez la carrosserie. You would strip the car body.
ils décaperaient Ils décaperaient les portes. They would strip the doors.
elles décaperaient Elles décaperaient les fenêtres. They would strip the windows.

Other Conjugations for Décaper.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décaper
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décaper (this article)

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Décaper – About the French Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Présent” tense, often called the present conditional tense in English, is used to express actions or events that are considered hypothetical, possible, or uncertain in the present or future. It’s the equivalent of “would” or “could” in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Conditionnel Présent tense for regular verbs, you take the infinitive form of the verb and add the appropriate endings. For example, using the verb “parler” (to speak): 

Je parlerais (I would speak) 
Tu parlerais (You would speak)
Il/elle/on parlerait (He/she/one would speak)
Nous parlerions (We would speak) 
Vous parleriez (You would speak)
Ils/elles parleraient (They would speak) 

Note – For irregular verbs, the stem might change, so you need to memorize the conjugation.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Polite Requests

The Conditionnel Présent is often used to make polite requests or suggestions. Instead of using the imperative, which can be more direct, the conditional is softer and more courteous. For example: “Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît” (I would like a coffee, please). 

Expressing Hypothetical Situations

It’s used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations. For instance, “Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une nouvelle voiture” (If I had money, I would buy a new car). 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

The conditional can convey doubt or uncertainty about something in the present or future. “Il serait peut-être en retard” (He might be late).

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Tense

The Conditionnel Présent is often used with the present tense to express hypothetical or conditional statements. For example, “Si tu viens demain, nous irons au cinéma” (If you come tomorrow, we will go to the movies). 

Past Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can also be used with past tenses like the imparfait to indicate a past hypothetical action. For instance, “J’aurais aimé être là hier” (I would have liked to be there yesterday). 

Future Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can be combined with the future tense to indicate future actions that are dependent on certain conditions. For example, “Il viendrait si tu l’invitais” (He would come if you invited him).
 

Conditional Perfect

If you want to express a hypothetical action in the past that didn’t happen, you can use the Conditionnel Présent with the past participle to form the conditional perfect. For example, “Il aurait fini son travail s’il n’était pas tombé malade” (He would have finished his work if he hadn’t gotten sick).

Summary

The Conditionnel Présent is a versatile tense in French, allowing speakers to discuss possibilities, hypothetical scenarios, and make polite requests. It’s essential to understand its usage patterns and how it interacts with other tenses to communicate effectively in various situations.

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