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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détourner

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The English translation of the French verb détourner is “to divert” or “to turn away”. It is pronounced as “dey-toor-nay”.

The origin of détourner can be traced back to the Latin word “detornare” which means “to turn away”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is equivalent to the English conditional perfect tense.

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

  1. J’aurais détourné mes yeux si j’avais su que c’était si choquant.
    (I would have turned away my eyes if I had known it was so shocking.)

  2. Tu aurais détourné l’attention du public si tu avais fait une blague.
    (You would have diverted the audience’s attention if you had made a joke.)

  3. Ils auraient détourné les fonds s’ils n’avaient pas été découverts.
    (They would have embezzled the funds if they had not been discovered.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais détourné Si j’avais plus d’argent, je l’aurais détourné. If I had more money, I would have diverted it.
tu aurais détourné Tu aurais détourné les yeux. You would have looked away.
il aurait détourné Il aurait détourné l’attention. He would have diverted the attention.
elle aurait détourné Elle aurait détourné la conversation. She would have changed the subject.
on aurait détourné On aurait détourné les yeux de la vérité. One would have turned a blind eye to the truth.
nous aurions détourné Nous aurions détourné la situation. We would have diverted the situation.
vous auriez détourné Vous auriez détourné les fonds. You would have embezzled the funds.
ils auraient détourné Ils auraient détourné les regards. They would have looked away.
elles auraient détourné Elles auraient détourné les esprits. They (female) would have diverted the minds.

Other Conjugations for Détourner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détourner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Détourner – 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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