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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb deviner

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The English translation of the French verb deviner is “to guess.” It is pronounced “duh-vee-nay.”

The origin of the word deviner can be traced back to the Latin word “divinare,” meaning “to foresee or predict.” In everyday French, deviner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical situation that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of deviner in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais deviné la réponse. (If I had known, I would have guessed the answer.)
  2. Il aurait deviné le résultat s’il avait écouté mes conseils. (He would have guessed the outcome if he had listened to my advice.)
  3. Nous aurions deviné le film si nous avions vu la bande-annonce. (We would have guessed the movie if we had seen the trailer.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais deviné Si j’avais su, je l’aurais deviné. I would have guessed it if I had known.
tu aurais deviné Tu aurais deviné la réponse. You would have guessed the answer.
il aurait deviné Il aurait deviné le secret. He would have guessed the secret.
elle aurait deviné Elle aurait deviné la solution. She would have guessed the solution.
on aurait deviné On aurait deviné l’énigme. One would have guessed the riddle.
nous aurions deviné Nous aurions deviné la vérité. We would have guessed the truth.
vous auriez deviné Vous auriez deviné la fin. You would have guessed the ending.
ils auraient deviné Ils auraient deviné le coupable. They would have guessed the culprit.
elles auraient deviné Elles auraient deviné le mensonge. They (female) would have guessed the lie.

Other Conjugations for Deviner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb deviner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Deviner – 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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