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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb distancer

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The English translation of the French verb distancer is “to distance” or “to move away from.” It is pronounced as “dee-stahn-say” in the infinitive form.

The language origin of distancer comes from the Latin word “distantia” meaning distance or space. In French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense in everyday French are:

  1. Si tu distancais ta voiture, tu pourrais éviter l’accident. (If you were to distance your car, you could avoid the accident.)
  2. Nous distancerions nos concurrents si nous investissions dans la recherche. (We would distance ourselves from our competitors if we invested in research.)
  3. Les manifestants ne se distanceraient pas du gouvernement si leurs demandes étaient satisfaites. (The protesters would not distance themselves from the government if their demands were met.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je distancerais Je distancerais mes concurrents. I would distance myself from my competitors.
tu distancerais Tu distancerais ton frère. You would distance yourself from your brother.
il distancerait Il distancerait son adversaire. He would distance himself from his opponent.
elle distancerait Elle distancerait son chien. She would distance herself from her dog.
on distancerait On distancerait les autres. One would distance oneself from others.
nous distancerions Nous distancerions le virus. We would distance ourselves from the virus.
vous distanceriez Vous distanceriez votre voiture. You would distance yourself from your car.
ils distanceraient Ils distanceraient leurs amis. They would distance themselves from their friends.
elles distanceraient Elles distanceraient leur famille. They would distance themselves from their family.

Other Conjugations for Distancer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb distancer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Distancer – 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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