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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb devancer

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The English translation of the French verb devancer is “to overtake” or “to get ahead of.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “duh-vahn-say.”

The word devancer comes from the Latin word “devincere,” meaning “to beat or surpass.” It is often used in everyday French to describe a situation where someone or something has surpassed or overtaken another person or thing.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, devancer is used to describe a hypothetical action that would have taken place in the past. It can also be used to express regret or disappointment about a missed opportunity in the past.

Here are three simple examples of devancer in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais couru plus vite, j’aurais devancé mon adversaire. (If I had run faster, I would have overtaken my opponent.)

  2. Nous aurions dû partir plus tôt pour devancer le trafic. (We should have left earlier to beat the traffic.)

  3. Elle se rappelle encore l’occasion qu’elle aurait pu devancer si elle avait pris une autre décision. (She still remembers the opportunity she could have taken if she had made a different decision.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais devancé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais devancé. I would have surpassed you.
tu aurais devancé Tu aurais devancé les autres. You would have beaten the others.
il aurait devancé Il aurait devancé son adversaire. He would have outstripped his opponent.
elle aurait devancé Elle aurait devancé son concurrent. She would have outrun her competitor.
on aurait devancé On aurait devancé le reste du groupe. One would have surpassed the rest of the group.
nous aurions devancé Nous aurions devancé la compétition. We would have outrun the competition.
vous auriez devancé Vous auriez devancé les autres. You would have beaten the others.
ils auraient devancé Ils auraient devancé leurs adversaires. They would have outstripped their opponents.
elles auraient devancé Elles auraient devancé leurs concurrentes. They (female) would have outrun their competitors.

Other Conjugations for Devancer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb devancer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Devancer – 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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