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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décontaminer

Get the Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) tense conjugation of décontaminer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb décontaminer is “to decontaminate” or “to purify.” It is pronounced as “day-kon-tam-ee-nay” in its infinitive form.

The word décontaminer is derived from the French word “contamination,” which comes from the Latin word “contaminare,” meaning “to make impure.” It is a combination of the prefix “de,” meaning “to remove,” and the root word “contaminer.”

In everyday French, décontaminer is most often used in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or possible action in the present or future. This tense is formed by using the infinitive form of the verb followed by the conditional endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

Three examples of décontaminer in the Conditionnel Présent tense are:

  1. Si j’avais les moyens, je décontaminerais toute la zone. (If I had the means, I would decontaminate the entire area.)
  2. Nous pourrions décontaminer la rivière en utilisant des techniques écologiques. (We could decontaminate the river using eco-friendly techniques.)
  3. S’ils étaient formés, ils décontamineraient les sites pollués avec plus d’efficacité. (If they were trained, they would decontaminate polluted sites more efficiently.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je décontaminerais Je décontaminerais la cuisine. I would decontaminate the kitchen.
tu décontaminerais Tu décontaminerais ta maison. You would decontaminate your house.
il décontaminerait Il décontaminerait l’eau. He would decontaminate the water.
elle décontaminerait Elle décontaminerait les vêtements. She would decontaminate the clothes.
on décontaminerait On décontaminerait la rue. One would decontaminate the street.
nous décontaminerions Nous décontaminerions l’air. We would decontaminate the air.
vous décontamineriez Vous décontamineriez votre bureau. You would decontaminate your office.
ils décontamineraient Ils décontamineraient la ville. They would decontaminate the city.
elles décontamineraient Elles décontamineraient les écoles. They would decontaminate the schools.

Other Conjugations for Décontaminer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontaminer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the décontaminer Conditionnel Présent tense conjugation!

Décontaminer – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb décontaminer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts