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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détoner

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The English translation of the French verb détoner is “to detonate.” The infinitive form, détoner, is pronounced as “day-toe-nay.”

Détoner comes from the Latin word detonare, which means “to thunder.” It was first used in the 19th century to refer to the explosion of a powder or explosive substance. In everyday French, détoner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is equivalent to the English conditional perfect tense.

Three examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais été là, j’aurais détoné la bombe moi-même. (If I had been there, I would have detonated the bomb myself.)

  2. Ils auraient détoné toutes les mines dans la zone avant de quitter. (They would have detonated all the mines in the area before leaving.)

  3. Nous aurions détoné les pétards plus tôt, mais il pleuvait. (We would have detonated the firecrackers earlier, but it was raining.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais détoné Si j’avais eu une bombe, j’aurais détoné. I would have detonated if I had a bomb.
tu aurais détoné Tu aurais détoné trop tôt. You would have detonated too early.
il aurait détoné Il aurait détoné pour sauver ses amis. He would have detonated to save his friends.
elle aurait détoné Elle aurait détoné pour la cause. She would have detonated for the cause.
on aurait détoné On aurait détoné sans hésitation. One would have detonated without hesitation.
nous aurions détoné Nous aurions détoné pour notre liberté. We would have detonated for our freedom.
vous auriez détoné Vous auriez détoné à tout moment. You would have detonated at any time.
ils auraient détoné Ils auraient détoné la bombe ensemble. They would have detonated the bomb together.
elles auraient détoné Elles auraient détoné pour la paix. They (female) would have detonated for peace.

Other Conjugations for Détoner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détoner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Détoner – 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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