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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb discerner

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The English translation of the French verb discerner is “to discern” or “to distinguish.” It is pronounced as “dee-sehr-nay” in its infinitive form.

The language origin of discerner comes from the Latin word “discernere,” which means “to separate” or “to distinguish.” In everyday French, discerner is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have taken place in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais été plus attentif, j’aurais discerné la vérité. (If I had been more attentive, I would have discerned the truth.)

  2. Il aurait pu discerner le mensonge s’il avait écouté attentivement. (He could have discerned the lie if he had listened carefully.)

  3. Nous aurions discerné une différence entre les deux tableaux si nous les avions examinés de plus près. (We would have discerned a difference between the two paintings if we had examined them more closely.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais discerné Je l’aurais discerné tout de suite. I would have discerned it right away.
tu aurais discerné Tu aurais discerné le mensonge. You would have discerned the lie.
il aurait discerné Il aurait discerné la vérité. He would have discerned the truth.
elle aurait discerné Elle aurait discerné l’erreur. She would have discerned the mistake.
on aurait discerné On aurait discerné les différences. One would have discerned the differences.
nous aurions discerné Nous aurions discerné les indices. We would have discerned the clues.
vous auriez discerné Vous auriez discerné les signes. You would have discerned the signs.
ils auraient discerné Ils auraient discerné la solution. They would have discerned the solution.
elles auraient discerné Elles auraient discerné la réalité. They (female) would have discerned the reality.

Other Conjugations for Discerner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb discerner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Discerner – 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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