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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévier

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The English translation of the French verb dévier is “to deviate” or “to divert.” It is pronounced as “deh-vee-ay.”

Dévier comes from the Latin word “deviare” which means “to go off course.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or past event that did not occur.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais écouté tes conseils, je n’aurais pas dévié de mon plan initial. (If I had listened to your advice, I wouldn’t have deviated from my initial plan.)

  2. Il aurait dû être à l’heure, mais il a dévié de sa route pour éviter un embouteillage. (He should have been on time, but he diverted from his route to avoid a traffic jam.)

  3. Nous aurions pu arriver plus tôt, mais nous avons dévié du chemin pour faire un détour touristique. (We could have arrived earlier, but we deviated from the path to take a tourist detour.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dévié Si j’avais su, j’aurais dévié. I would have deviated.
tu aurais dévié Tu aurais dévié plus tôt. You would have deviated earlier.
il aurait dévié Il aurait dévié de sa trajectoire. He would have deviated from his trajectory.
elle aurait dévié Elle aurait dévié de son chemin. She would have deviated from her path.
on aurait dévié On aurait dévié du plan initial. One would have deviated from the original plan.
nous aurions dévié Nous aurions dévié notre route. We would have deviated our route.
vous auriez dévié Vous auriez dévié à gauche. You would have deviated to the left.
ils auraient dévié Ils auraient dévié de leur plan. They would have deviated from their plan.
elles auraient dévié Elles auraient dévié vers l’Est. They (female) would have deviated towards the East.

Other Conjugations for Dévier.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévier
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dévier – 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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