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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déserter

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The English translation of the French verb déserter is “to desert.” It is pronounced as [deh-zair-teh] in its infinitive form.

Déserter comes from the Latin word “desertus,” meaning “abandoned” or “forsaken.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has remained in use since then.

In everyday French, déserter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which corresponds to the English conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to describe an action that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Three simple examples of déserter used in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de courage, j’aurais déserté l’armée. (If I had had more courage, I would have deserted the army.)
  2. Vous auriez dû déserter ce travail depuis longtemps. (You should have deserted this job a long time ago.)
  3. Ils seraient partis en déserter la ville si la situation avait été plus dangereuse. (They would have left to desert the city if the situation had been more dangerous.)

These examples show how déserter is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical action in the past that did not actually happen. In all three cases, the conditional form of déserter (aurais déserté, auriez dû déserter, seraient partis en déserter) is used to convey the idea of a missed opportunity or a regretful decision.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais déserté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais déserté. I would have deserted you.
tu aurais déserté Tu aurais déserté plus tôt. You would have deserted earlier.
il aurait déserté Il aurait déserté l’armée. He would have deserted the army.
elle aurait déserté Elle aurait déserté son poste. She would have deserted her post.
on aurait déserté On aurait déserté avant la guerre. One would have deserted before the war.
nous aurions déserté Nous aurions déserté notre pays. We would have deserted our country.
vous auriez déserté Vous auriez déserté la ville. You would have deserted the city.
ils auraient déserté Ils auraient déserté le front. They would have deserted the front.
elles auraient déserté Elles auraient déserté les combats. They (female) would have deserted the battles.

Other Conjugations for Déserter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déserter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Déserter – 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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