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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détourer

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The English translation of the French verb détourer is ‘to outline’ or ‘to cut out’. The infinitive form is pronounced as ‘day-too-ray’.

The word détourer comes from the French word ‘détour’, which means ‘detour’ or ’roundabout’. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express actions or events that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are 3 simple examples of détourer in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais suivi un cours d’art, j’aurais pu détourer cette image moi-même. (If I had taken an art course, I could have outlined this image myself.)

  2. Tu aurais dû détourer les formes avant de les colorier. (You should have outlined the shapes before coloring them.)

  3. Nous aurions détouré les photos de vacances pour créer un album. (We would have cut out the vacation photos to create an album.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais détouré Si j’étais plus patiente, je t’aurais détouré. If I had been more patient, I would have cut you out.
tu aurais détouré Tu aurais détouré plus précisément. You would have cut out more precisely.
il aurait détouré Il aurait détouré la photo. He would have cut out the picture.
elle aurait détouré Elle aurait détouré les cheveux de son modèle. She would have cut out her model’s hair.
on aurait détouré On aurait détouré toutes les images. One would have cut out all the images.
nous aurions détouré Nous aurions détouré en utilisant un logiciel. We would have cut out using a software.
vous auriez détouré Vous auriez détouré les formes avec précision. You would have cut out the shapes precisely.
ils auraient détouré Ils auraient détouré les images pour le projet. They would have cut out the images for the project.
elles auraient détouré Elles auraient détouré de jolies fleurs. They (female) would have cut out pretty flowers.

Other Conjugations for Détourer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détourer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Détourer – 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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