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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb distribuer

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The English translation of the French verb distribuer is “to distribute.” It is pronounced “dee-stree-boo-ay.”

Distribuer comes from the Latin word “distribuere,” which means “to divide, distribute, or dispense.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses an action that would have happened in the past if a certain condition had been met.

Example 1: Si j’avais gagné à la loterie, j’aurais distribué l’argent à mes amis. (If I had won the lottery, I would have distributed the money to my friends.)

Example 2: Nous aurions distribué les invitations si nous avions eu plus de temps. (We would have distributed the invitations if we had more time.)

Example 3: Vous auriez distribué des flyers si vous aviez été là hier. (You would have distributed flyers if you had been there yesterday.)

English translations:

Example 1: If I had won the lottery, I would have distributed the money to my friends.

Example 2: We would have distributed the invitations if we had more time.

Example 3: You would have distributed flyers if you had been there yesterday.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais distribué Si j’avais su, je t’aurais distribué I would have distributed to you.
tu aurais distribué Tu aurais distribué plus tôt. You would have distributed earlier.
il aurait distribué Il aurait distribué les flyers. He would have handed out the flyers.
elle aurait distribué Elle aurait distribué les cadeaux. She would have distributed the gifts.
on aurait distribué On aurait distribué de la nourriture. One would have distributed food.
nous aurions distribué Nous aurions distribué les cartes. We would have distributed the cards.
vous auriez distribué Vous auriez distribué avec elle. You would have distributed with her.
ils auraient distribué Ils auraient distribué des livres. They would have distributed books.
elles auraient distribué Elles auraient distribué des roses. They (female) would have distributed roses.

Other Conjugations for Distribuer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb distribuer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Distribuer – 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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