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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décider

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The English translation of the French verb décider is “to decide.” It is pronounced as “deh-see-deh” in the infinitive form.

Décider comes from the Latin word “decidere” which means “to cut off.” It entered the French language in the 15th century and has been used in its current form since the 18th century. In everyday French, décider is used to express the act of making a choice or decision.

In the Conditionnel Présent tense, décider is used to express a hypothetical or possible decision in the present or future. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais plus d’argent, je déciderais d’acheter une nouvelle voiture. (If I had more money, I would decide to buy a new car.)
  2. Nous déciderions de partir en vacances si nous avions plus de temps. (We would decide to go on vacation if we had more time.)
  3. Vous décideriez de déménager si vous trouviez un meilleur emploi ? (Would you decide to move if you found a better job?)

In all of these examples, the verb décider is conjugated in the Conditionnel Présent tense to express a potential decision in response to a hypothetical situation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je déciderais Je déciderais de partir demain. I would decide to leave tomorrow.
tu déciderais Tu déciderais de changer d’emploi. You would decide to change jobs.
il déciderait Il déciderait de suivre ses rêves. He would decide to follow his dreams.
elle déciderait Elle déciderait de faire du bénévolat. She would decide to do volunteer work.
on déciderait On déciderait de voyager en Europe. One would decide to travel to Europe.
nous déciderions Nous déciderions de faire une pause. We would decide to take a break.
vous décideriez Vous décideriez de déménager. You would decide to move.
ils décideraient Ils décideraient de partir en vacances. They would decide to go on vacation.
elles décideraient Elles décideraient de lancer une nouvelle entreprise. They would decide to start a new business.

Other Conjugations for Décider.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décider
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décider – 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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