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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détecter

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The English translation of the French verb détecter is “to detect.” It is pronounced as “day-teck-tay.”

Détecter comes from the Latin word “detectare,” which means “to uncover.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or future action that is dependent on a condition that may or may not be fulfilled.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais détecté cette erreur, je l’aurais corrigée immédiatement. (If I had detected this mistake, I would have corrected it immediately.)
  2. Nous aurions pu éviter cette situation si nous avions détecté le problème plus tôt. (We could have avoided this situation if we had detected the problem earlier.)
  3. Si tu avais détecté les signes avant-coureurs, tu aurais pu empêcher la panne. (If you had detected the warning signs, you could have prevented the breakdown.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais détecté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais détecté. I would have detected you.
tu aurais détecté Tu aurais détecté le problème. You would have detected the problem.
il aurait détecté Il aurait détecté le virus. He would have detected the virus.
elle aurait détecté Elle aurait détecté le mensonge. She would have detected the lie.
on aurait détecté On aurait détecté leur présence. One would have detected their presence.
nous aurions détecté Nous aurions détecté le danger. We would have detected the danger.
vous auriez détecté Vous auriez détecté leur intention. You would have detected their intention.
ils auraient détecté Ils auraient détecté les erreurs. They would have detected the errors.
elles auraient détecté Elles auraient détecté le problème. They (female) would have detected the problem.

Other Conjugations for Détecter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détecter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Détecter – 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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