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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détirer

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The English translation of the French verb détirer is “to stretch out” or “to pull out.” The infinitive form is pronounced “day-tee-ray.”

The word détirer comes from the Old French term “détirier,” which means “to take away” or “to remove.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which corresponds to the English conditional perfect tense.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais détiré mon bras pour attraper la balle. (If I had known, I would have stretched out my arm to catch the ball.)

  2. Tu aurais détiré la corde pour la réparer, mais tu n’avais pas de couteau. (You would have pulled out the rope to fix it, but you didn’t have a knife.)

  3. Elle aurait détiré ses jambes avant la course pour éviter les crampes. (She would have stretched out her legs before the race to avoid cramps.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais détaré Si j’avais su, je me serais détaré. I would have stretched if I had known.
tu aurais détaré Tu aurais détaré avant de courir. You would have stretched before running.
il aurait détaré Il aurait détaré son dos. He would have stretched his back.
elle aurait détaré Elle aurait détaré ses jambes. She would have stretched her legs.
on aurait détaré On aurait détaré avant de faire du sport. One would have stretched before doing sports.
nous aurions détaré Nous aurions détaré en équipe. We would have stretched as a team.
vous auriez détaré Vous auriez détaré avant le match. You would have stretched before the game.
ils auraient détaré Ils auraient détaré avant de partir en randonnée. They would have stretc

Other Conjugations for Détirer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détirer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Détirer – 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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