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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détester

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The English translation of the French verb détester is “to hate” or “to detest.” The infinitive form, détester, is pronounced as “day-test-ay.”

The language origin of détester can be traced back to the Latin word “detestari,” meaning “to curse or abhor.” In everyday French, détester is commonly used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to express an action or event that would have happened in the past if a certain condition had been met.

Three simple examples of détester in the Conditionnel Passé tense and their English translations are:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais détesté ce film. (If I had known, I would have hated this movie.)
  2. Tu aurais détesté cet endroit, il n’y avait rien à faire. (You would have hated this place, there was nothing to do.)
  3. Nous aurions détesté manger du poisson tous les jours. (We would have hated eating fish every day.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais détesté Si j’avais vu ça, je l’aurais détesté. If I had seen that, I would have hated it.
tu aurais détesté Tu aurais détesté ce film. You would have hated this movie.
il aurait détesté Il aurait détesté cette idée. He would have hated this idea.
elle aurait détesté Elle aurait détesté cette robe. She would have hated this dress.
on aurait détesté On aurait détesté cette décision. One would have hated this decision.
nous aurions détesté Nous aurions détesté le voyage. We would have hated the trip.
vous auriez détesté Vous auriez détesté la cuisine. You would have hated the food.
ils auraient détesté Ils auraient détesté le spectacle. They would have hated the show.
elles auraient détesté Elles auraient détesté ces chaussures. They (female) would have hated these shoes.

Other Conjugations for Détester.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détester
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Détester – 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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