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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb accentuer

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The English translation of the French verb accentuer is “to emphasize” or “to accentuate.” It is pronounced as “ah-ksahnt-uh-weh” in the infinitive form.

The word accentuer comes from the Latin word “accentus,” meaning “intonation” or “stress.” It was later adopted into French, where it evolved to have a broader meaning of “to stress” or “to put emphasis on.”

In everyday French, accentuer is most often used in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain situation. It is usually used to suggest something that could happen, but is not certain.

Here are three simple examples of using accentuer in the Conditionnel Présent tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si tu accentuais un peu plus tes phrases, elles seraient plus compréhensibles. (If you stressed your sentences a bit more, they would be easier to understand.)

  2. Nous accentuerions notre présence sur les réseaux sociaux si nous avions plus de temps. (We would emphasize our presence on social media if we had more time.)

  3. S’ils accentuaient leurs efforts, ils pourraient réussir. (If they put more emphasis on their efforts, they could succeed.)

Table of the Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of accentuer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je accentuerais Je accentuerais les voyelles. I would accentuate the vowels.
tu accentuerais Tu accentuerais les mots-clés. You would accentuate the keywords.
il accentuerait Il accentuerait son discours. He would accentuate his speech.
elle accentuerait Elle accentuerait ses traits. She would accentuate her features.
on accentuerait On accentuerait les contrastes. One would accentuate the contrasts.
nous accentuerions Nous accentuerions les points forts. We would accentuate the strong points.
vous accentueriez Vous accentueriez les couleurs. You would accentuate the colors.
ils accentueraient Ils accentueraient les nuances. They would accentuate the nuances.
elles accentueraient Elles accentueraient les rythmes. They would accentuate the rhythms.

Other Conjugations for Accentuer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accentuer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accentuer (this article)

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Accentuer – About the French Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Présent” tense, often called the present conditional tense in English, is used to express actions or events that are considered hypothetical, possible, or uncertain in the present or future. It’s the equivalent of “would” or “could” in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Conditionnel Présent tense for regular verbs, you take the infinitive form of the verb and add the appropriate endings. For example, using the verb “parler” (to speak): 

Je parlerais (I would speak) 
Tu parlerais (You would speak)
Il/elle/on parlerait (He/she/one would speak)
Nous parlerions (We would speak) 
Vous parleriez (You would speak)
Ils/elles parleraient (They would speak) 

Note – For irregular verbs, the stem might change, so you need to memorize the conjugation.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Polite Requests

The Conditionnel Présent is often used to make polite requests or suggestions. Instead of using the imperative, which can be more direct, the conditional is softer and more courteous. For example: “Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît” (I would like a coffee, please). 

Expressing Hypothetical Situations

It’s used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations. For instance, “Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une nouvelle voiture” (If I had money, I would buy a new car). 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

The conditional can convey doubt or uncertainty about something in the present or future. “Il serait peut-être en retard” (He might be late).

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Tense

The Conditionnel Présent is often used with the present tense to express hypothetical or conditional statements. For example, “Si tu viens demain, nous irons au cinéma” (If you come tomorrow, we will go to the movies). 

Past Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can also be used with past tenses like the imparfait to indicate a past hypothetical action. For instance, “J’aurais aimé être là hier” (I would have liked to be there yesterday). 

Future Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can be combined with the future tense to indicate future actions that are dependent on certain conditions. For example, “Il viendrait si tu l’invitais” (He would come if you invited him).
 

Conditional Perfect

If you want to express a hypothetical action in the past that didn’t happen, you can use the Conditionnel Présent with the past participle to form the conditional perfect. For example, “Il aurait fini son travail s’il n’était pas tombé malade” (He would have finished his work if he hadn’t gotten sick).

Summary

The Conditionnel Présent is a versatile tense in French, allowing speakers to discuss possibilities, hypothetical scenarios, and make polite requests. It’s essential to understand its usage patterns and how it interacts with other tenses to communicate effectively in various situations.

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