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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb destiner

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The English translation of the French verb destiner is “to intend” or “to destine.” It is pronounced “deh-stee-nay” in its infinitive form.

The origin of destiner can be traced back to the Latin word “destinare,” meaning “to make firm, establish.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of destiner used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si tu avais étudié plus dur, tu aurais réussi ton examen comme tu l’avais destiné. (If you had studied harder, you would have passed your exam as you intended.)
  2. Nous aurions acheté cette maison si nous avions su que tu la destinais à la vente. (We would have bought this house if we had known that you intended to sell it.)
  3. Ils auraient suivi mes conseils si je leur avais destiné un meilleur avenir. (They would have followed my advice if I had intended a better future for them.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais destiné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais destiné. I would have destined you.
tu aurais destiné Tu aurais destiné plus tôt. You would have destined earlier.
il aurait destiné Il aurait destiné son héritage à sa fille. He would have designated his inheritance to his daughter.
elle aurait destiné Elle aurait destiné ses économies à l’achat d’une maison. She would have allocated her savings to buying a house.
on aurait destiné On aurait destiné le livre à un public plus jeune. One would have intended the book for a younger audience.
nous aurions destiné Nous aurions destiné nos vacances en Grèce. We would have planned our vacation in Greece.
vous auriez destiné Vous auriez destiné l’argent à une bonne cause. You would have directed the money to a good cause.
ils auraient destiné Ils auraient destiné leur vie à la recherche. They would have dedicated their life to research.
elles auraient destiné Elles auraient destiné leur amour à leur famille. They (female) would have devoted their love to their family.

Other Conjugations for Destiner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb destiner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Destiner – 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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