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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démontrer

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of démontrer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of démontrer is “to demonstrate” or “to show.” It is pronounced as “day-mon-tray.”

The word démontrer comes from the Latin verb “demonstrare,” meaning “to point out” or “to show.” It was first used in French in the 13th century. In everyday French, démontrer is used mainly in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or possible action in the past.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais suivi ses conseils, j’aurais démontré mon intelligence. (If I had followed his advice, I would have demonstrated my intelligence.)
  2. Nous aurions démontré notre amour en lui offrant ce cadeau. (We would have shown our love by giving him this gift.)
  3. Vous auriez démontré votre talent en participant à cette compétition. (You would have demonstrated your talent by participating in this competition.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais démontré Si j’avais eu le temps, j’aurais démontré. If I had had the time, I would have demonstrated.
tu aurais démontré Tu aurais démontré ta théorie. You would have demonstrated your theory.
il aurait démontré Il aurait démontré sa compétence. He would have demonstrated his competence.
elle aurait démontré Elle aurait démontré son innocence. She would have demonstrated her innocence.
on aurait démontré On aurait démontré la véracité. One would have demonstrated the truth.
nous aurions démontré Nous aurions démontré notre savoir-faire. We would have demonstrated our expertise.
vous auriez démontré Vous auriez démontré votre efficacité. You would have demonstrated your efficiency.
ils auraient démontré Ils auraient démontré leur soutien. They would have demonstrated their support.
elles auraient démontré Elles auraient démontré leur force. They (female) would have demonstrated their strength.

Other Conjugations for Démontrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démontrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the démontrer Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Démontrer – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb démontrer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts