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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déférer

Get the Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) tense conjugation of déférer. 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 déférer is “to defer” or “to hand over.” It is pronounced as “deh-feh-reh.”

The language origin of déférer comes from the Latin word “deferre” which means “to carry, to bring.” In everyday French, déférer is most often used in the Conditionnel Présent tense to talk about actions that would happen under certain conditions or in hypothetical situations.

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

  1. Si j’étais président, je déférerais le pouvoir à mon vice-président. (If I were the president, I would defer power to my vice-president.)
  2. Si j’avais plus de temps, je déférerais mes responsabilités à quelqu’un d’autre. (If I had more time, I would defer my responsibilities to someone else.)
  3. Nous déférerions à votre demande si elle était plus raisonnable. (We would defer to your request if it was more reasonable.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je déférerais Je déférerais à l’autorité. I would defer to authority.
tu déférerais Tu déférerais aux règles. You would defer to the rules.
il déférerait Il déférerait à la décision. He would defer to the decision.
elle déférerait Elle déférerait à l’opinion. She would defer to the opinion.
on déférerait On déférerait à la tradition. One would defer to tradition.
nous déférerions Nous déférerions au jugement. We would defer to the judgment.
vous déféreriez Vous déféreriez au compromis. You would defer to the compromise.
ils déféreraient Ils déféreraient à la demande. They would defer to the request.
elles déféreraient Elles déféreraient au leader. They would defer to the leader.

Other Conjugations for Déférer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déférer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    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 déférer Conditionnel Présent tense conjugation!

Déférer – 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 déférer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts