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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb deviner

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The English translation of deviner is “to guess” or “to figure out.” It is pronounced as “deh-vee-neh” in the infinitive form.

The verb deviner comes from the Latin word “divinare” meaning “to predict” or “to foretell.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Présent tense to express a possibility or hypothetical situation.

Examples of deviner in Conditionnel Présent tense:

  1. Si je gagnais à la loterie, j’achèterais une maison en bord de mer. (If I won the lottery, I would buy a house by the sea.)

  2. Tu devinerais jamais où j’ai trouvé ce livre rare. (You would never guess where I found this rare book.)

  3. Si elle était ici, elle devinerait immédiatement la réponse à cette énigme. (If she were here, she would immediately figure out the answer to this riddle.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je devinerais Je devinerais le résultat. I would guess the result.
tu devinerais Tu devinerais le nombre. You would guess the number.
il devinerait Il devinerait la réponse. He would guess the answer.
elle devinerait Elle devinerait le secret. She would guess the secret.
on devinerait On devinerait la suite. One would guess the sequence.
nous devinerions Nous devinerions le mot. We would guess the word.
vous devineriez Vous devineriez la solution. You would guess the solution.
ils devineraient Ils devineraient le sujet. They would guess the topic.
elles devineraient Elles devineraient le mystère. They would guess the mystery.

Other Conjugations for Deviner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb deviner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Deviner – 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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