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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb accidenter

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The English translation of the French verb accidenter is “to have an accident” or “to cause an accident.” It is pronounced “ah-kee-dehn-teh.”

The language origin of accidenter is from the Latin word “accidentare,” meaning “to happen by chance.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or possible action in the present.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si je conduisais trop vite, je pourrais accidenter ma voiture. (If I drove too fast, I could have an accident with my car.)
  2. Tu devrais faire attention en traversant la rue, tu pourrais accidenter quelqu’un. (You should be careful when crossing the street, you could cause an accident with someone.)
  3. Si le temps était mauvais, nous pourrions accidenter notre bateau en mer. (If the weather was bad, we could have an accident with our boat at sea.)

English translations:

  1. If I drove too fast, I could have an accident with my car.
  2. You should be careful when crossing the street, you could cause an accident with someone.
  3. If the weather was bad, we could have an accident with our boat at sea.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je accidenterais Je accidenterais la voiture. I would damage the car.
tu accidenterais Tu accidenterais la moto. You would damage the bike.
il accidenterait Il accidenterait le mur. He would hit the wall.
elle accidenterait Elle accidenterait le vase. She would break the vase.
on accidenterait On accidenterait la voiture. One would damage the car.
nous accidenterions Nous accidenterions la rue. We would cause an accident on the street.
vous accidenteriez Vous accidenteriez le vélo. You would damage the bike.
ils accidenteraient Ils accidenteraient la clôture. They would damage the fence.
elles accidenteraient Elles accidenteraient la table. They would damage the table.

Other Conjugations for Accidenter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb accidenter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Accidenter – 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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