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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détonner

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The English translation of the French verb détonner is “to stand out” or “to be out of place.” It is pronounced as “day-ton-nay” in the infinitive form.

Détonner comes from the French word “tonner” which means “to thunder.” It originally referred to the sound of thunder being out of place or unexpected. Today, it is most often used in everyday French to describe something or someone that stands out or is different from the norm.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, détonner is used to express a hypothetical situation or a past event that could have happened differently. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais porté cette robe, j’aurais détonné à la soirée. (If I had worn this dress, I would have stood out at the party.)

  2. Nous aurions détonné dans ce quartier chic avec notre vieux van. (We would have been out of place in this fancy neighborhood with our old van.)

  3. Auriez-vous détonné au milieu de toutes ces célébrités ? (Would you have stood out among all these celebrities?)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais détonné Si je n’étais pas malade, j’aurais détonné. If I hadn’t been sick, I would have stood out.
tu aurais détonné Si tu avais choisi un autre costume, tu aurais détonné. If you had chosen a different outfit, you would have stood out.
il aurait détonné Il aurait détonné dans cette tenue. He would have stood out in that outfit.
elle aurait détonné Elle aurait détonné dans le groupe. She would have stood out in the group.
on aurait détonné On aurait détonné avec ces cheveux verts. One would have stood out with green hair.
nous aurions détonné Nous aurions détonné avec nos idées originales. We would have stood out with our original ideas.
vous auriez détonné Vous auriez détonné dans cette assemblée. You would have stood out in this gathering.
ils auraient détonné Ils auraient détonné dans cette foule. They would have stood out in this crowd.
elles auraient détonné Elles auraient détonné avec leurs tenues colorées. They (female) would have stood out with their colorful outfits.

Other Conjugations for Détonner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détonner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Détonner – 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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