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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désavouer

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The English translation of désavouer is “to disavow” or “to disown.” It is pronounced “day-sa-voo-ay.”

The word désavouer comes from the Old French word “desavouer,” which is a combination of the prefix “des-” (meaning “away from”) and the verb “avouer” (meaning “to admit”). It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action in the present or future.

Three examples of désavouer in the Conditionnel Présent tense are:

  1. Si je devais être élu président, je désavouerais certaines de mes promesses électorales. (If I were to be elected president, I would disavow some of my campaign promises.)

  2. Tu désavouerais tes amis si tu découvrais qu’ils te mentaient ? (Would you disavow your friends if you found out they were lying to you?)

  3. Nous désavouerions notre propre famille si elle était impliquée dans un scandale. (We would disavow our own family if they were involved in a scandal.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je désavouerais Je désavouerais mes actions. I would disown my actions.
tu désavouerais Tu désavouerais ta famille. You would disown your family.
il désavouerait Il désavouerait son comportement. He would disown his behavior.
elle désavouerait Elle désavouerait sa parole. She would disown her words.
on désavouerait On désavouerait la vérité. One would disown the truth.
nous désavouerions Nous désavouerions notre chef. We would disown our leader.
vous désavoueriez Vous désavoueriez votre opinion. You would disown your opinion.
ils désavoueraient Ils désavoueraient leur complice. They would disown their accomplice.
elles désavoueraient Elles désavoueraient leur décision. They would disown their decision.

Other Conjugations for Désavouer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désavouer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Désavouer – 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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