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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déterminer

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The English translation of the French verb déterminer is “to determine” or “to decide.” It is pronounced as “day-tair-mee-nay.”

The word déterminer comes from the Latin word “determinare,” which means “to limit” or “to set boundaries.” It entered the French language in the 14th century and has since evolved to mean “to establish” or “to settle.”

In everyday French, déterminer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express actions or events that would have happened in the past if a certain condition had been met.

Three simple examples of déterminer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais écouté mes parents, j’aurais déterminé ma carrière plus tôt. (If I had listened to my parents, I would have decided on my career earlier.)
  2. Nous aurions déterminé une date pour notre mariage si nous avions plus d’argent. (We would have set a date for our wedding if we had more money.)
  3. Si tu avais appelé hier, nous aurions déjà déterminé notre itinéraire de voyage. (If you had called yesterday, we would have already decided on our travel itinerary.)

In all of these examples, the action of determining or deciding would have taken place in the past if a certain condition had been fulfilled. It expresses a hypothetical situation or regret about not making a decision in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais déterminé Si je pouvais, j’aurais déterminé mes priorités. If I could, I would have determined my priorities.
tu aurais déterminé Tu aurais déterminé la solution. You would have determined the solution.
il aurait déterminé Il aurait déterminé la cause de l’incendie. He would have determined the cause of the fire.
elle aurait déterminé Elle aurait déterminé ses objectifs. She would have determined her goals.
on aurait déterminé On aurait déterminé la meilleure option. One would have determined the best option.
nous aurions déterminé Nous aurions déterminé nos prochaines étapes. We would have determined our next steps.
vous auriez déterminé Vous auriez déterminé la réponse juste. You would have determined the correct answer.
ils auraient déterminé Ils auraient déterminé la vérité. They would have determined the truth.
elles auraient déterminé Elles auraient déterminé la date de l’événement. They (female) would have determined the date of the event.

Other Conjugations for Déterminer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déterminer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Déterminer – 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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