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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désister

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The English translation of the French verb désister is “to give up” or “to withdraw”. It is pronounced as “day-see-stay” in its infinitive form.

The word désister comes from the Latin verb “desistere”, meaning “to stop”. It entered the French language in the 15th century with the same meaning and usage as it has today.

In everyday French, the verb désister is most often used in the Conditionnel Présent (conditional) tense, which expresses a hypothetical or possible action.

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

  1. Si je n’avais pas peur, je désisterais de mon rêve de devenir actrice. (If I wasn’t afraid, I would give up my dream of becoming an actress.)
  2. Tu désisterais de ton projet si tu avais plus de temps ? (Would you withdraw from your project if you had more time?)
  3. Ils désisteraient de leur candidature si le poste était déjà pourvu. (They would withdraw their application if the position was already filled.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me désisterais Je me désisterais si je n’étais pas prêt. I would back out if I wasn’t ready.
tu te désisterais Tu te désisterais pour ton ami. You would back out for your friend.
il se désisterait Il se désisterait en cas d’urgence. He would back out in case of emergency.
elle se désisterait Elle se désisterait trop tard. She would back out too late.
on se désisterait On se désisterait si nécessaire. One would back out if necessary.
nous nous désisterions Nous nous désisterions si nous avions peur. We would back out if we were scared.
vous vous désisteriez Vous vous désisteriez pour votre famille. You would back out for your family.
ils se désisteraient Ils se désisteraient pour leur équipe. They would back out for their team.
elles se désisteraient Elles se désisteraient si elles avaient d’autres projets. They would back out if they had other plans.

Other Conjugations for Désister.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désister
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Désister – 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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