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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décontracter

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The English translation of décontracter is “to relax” or “to unwind.” It is pronounced as [day-kon-trak-ter] in the infinitive form.

Décontracter comes from the French word “décontraction,” which means “relaxation” or “ease.” It is derived from the prefix “dé-” which means “un” or “not” and the verb “contracter” which means “to contract” or “to tense.” Therefore, décontracter literally means “to uncontract” or “to relax.”

In everyday French, décontracter is most often used in the Conditionnel Présent tense to express a hypothetical or possible action in the present or future. It is often used in conjunction with other verbs to describe an action that would happen if certain conditions were met.

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

  1. Si je prenais une journée de congé, je décontracterais à la plage.
    (If I took a day off, I would relax at the beach.)

  2. Tu ferais mieux de décontracter un peu et de profiter de la vie.
    (You should relax a little and enjoy life.)

  3. Nous pourrions décontracter en faisant une promenade dans le parc.
    (We could relax by taking a walk in the park.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je décontracterais Je décontracterais après le travail. I would relax after work.
tu décontracterais Tu décontracterais ta posture. You would relax your posture.
il se décontracterait Il se décontracterait avec un massage. He would relax with a massage.
elle se décontracterait Elle se décontracterait avec de la musique. She would relax with music.
on se décontracterait On se décontracterait à la plage. One would relax at the beach.
nous nous décontracterions Nous nous décontracterions en famille. We would relax with our family.
vous vous décontracteriez Vous vous décontracteriez avec des amis. You would relax with friends.
ils se décontracteraient Ils se décontracteraient après le match. They would relax after the game.
elles se décontracteraient Elles se décontracteraient avec du yoga. They would relax with yoga.

Other Conjugations for Décontracter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontracter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décontracter – 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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