Détester Conjugation in French
détester means “to hate” in English, and it is a verb French learners meet early and use often. This page gives you the complete conjugation of détester — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Je déteste le froid de l’hiver.” — “I hate the cold of winter.” Learning the forms on this page first, before you try to use the verb in conversation, saves you from guessing later: French spelling and endings change with the person and the tense, and détester is no exception. Work through the tables one tense at a time, say each form aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: détester
- English: to hate
- Verb type: Regular -er verb
- Irregular in: — (regular in every tense)
- Gerund: en détestant
- Past participle: détesté
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for détester, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for détester. Learn the present tense first, then the passé composé and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | déteste |
| tu | détestes |
| il/elle | déteste |
| nous | détestons |
| vous | détestez |
| ils/elles | détestent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | détestai |
| tu | détestas |
| il/elle | détesta |
| nous | détestâmes |
| vous | détestâtes |
| ils/elles | détestèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | détestais |
| tu | détestais |
| il/elle | détestait |
| nous | détestions |
| vous | détestiez |
| ils/elles | détestaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | détesterai |
| tu | détesteras |
| il/elle | détestera |
| nous | détesterons |
| vous | détesterez |
| ils/elles | détesteront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | détesterais |
| tu | détesterais |
| il/elle | détesterait |
| nous | détesterions |
| vous | détesteriez |
| ils/elles | détesteraient |
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai détesté |
| tu | as détesté |
| il/elle | a détesté |
| nous | avons détesté |
| vous | avez détesté |
| ils/elles | ont détesté |
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais détesté |
| tu | avais détesté |
| il/elle | avait détesté |
| nous | avions détesté |
| vous | aviez détesté |
| ils/elles | avaient détesté |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai détesté |
| tu | auras détesté |
| il/elle | aura détesté |
| nous | aurons détesté |
| vous | aurez détesté |
| ils/elles | auront détesté |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais détesté |
| tu | aurais détesté |
| il/elle | aurait détesté |
| nous | aurions détesté |
| vous | auriez détesté |
| ils/elles | auraient détesté |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | déteste |
| tu | détestes |
| il/elle | déteste |
| nous | détestions |
| vous | détestiez |
| ils/elles | détestent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | détestasse |
| tu | détestasses |
| il/elle | détestât |
| nous | détestassions |
| vous | détestassiez |
| ils/elles | détestassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | déteste |
| nous | détestons |
| vous | détestez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | déteste |
| nous | détestons |
| vous | détestez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en détestant |
| Past participle | détesté |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Je déteste le froid de l’hiver.” — “I hate the cold of winter.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. For example: “Tu détestas le froid de l’hiver.” — “You hated the cold of winter one day.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Il détestait le froid de l’hiver quand j’étais jeune.” — “He used to hate the cold of winter.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, predictions and promises. For example: “Nous détesterons le froid de l’hiver.” — “We will hate the cold of winter tomorrow.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “Vous détesteriez le froid de l’hiver.” — “You would hate the cold of winter if you could.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for recent past actions and completed events. With détester it is formed with avoir + the past participle détesté. For example: “Ils ont détesté le froid de l’hiver hier.” — “They have hated the cold of winter.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais détesté le froid de l’hiver avant la fête.” — “I had hated the cold of winter before the party.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras détesté le froid de l’hiver.” — “You will have hated the cold of winter by tomorrow evening.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait détesté le froid de l’hiver.” — “He would have hated the cold of winter if he had been able to.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Il faut que je déteste le froid de l’hiver.” — “It is important that I hate the cold of winter.”
Imperfect subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, mainly in formal writing. For example: “Il fallait que je détestasse le froid de l’hiver.” — “It was important that I hate the cold of winter.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Déteste le froid de l’hiver !” — “Hate the cold of winter!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Déteste le froid de l’hiver !” — “Do not hate the cold of winter!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund is en détestant — “while hating” — used after en to say how something happens. The past participle is détesté, used with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai détesté.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with détester, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je déteste le froid de l’hiver.” — “I hate the cold of winter.”
- “Tu détestes le froid de l’hiver.” — “You hate the cold of winter.”
- “Il détestait le froid de l’hiver.” — “He used to hate the cold of winter.”
- “Nous détesterons le froid de l’hiver.” — “We will hate the cold of winter tomorrow.”
- “Je détesterais le froid de l’hiver.” — “I would hate the cold of winter if I could.”
- “Tu as détesté le froid de l’hiver.” — “You have hated the cold of winter.”
- “Il avait détesté le froid de l’hiver.” — “He had hated the cold of winter before the party.”
- “Nous aurons détesté le froid de l’hiver.” — “We will have hated the cold of winter by tomorrow evening.”
- “Il faut que je déteste le froid de l’hiver.” — “It is important that I hate the cold of winter.”
- “Déteste le froid de l’hiver !” — “Hate the cold of winter!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je détester le froid de l’hiver.”
✓ Right: “Je déteste le froid de l’hiver.”
The infinitive détester never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form déteste.
2. Confusing détester with adorer
✗ Wrong: “Je déteste le chocolat noir.” (meant as “adorer”)
✓ Right: “Je déteste le froid de l’hiver.”
détester means “to hate”; adorer means “to adore”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Using the wrong auxiliary for the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis détesté le froid de l’hiver.”
✓ Right: “J'ai détesté le froid de l’hiver.”
With détester the passé composé is formed with avoir, not être: ai détesté.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il faut que je déteste le froid de l’hiver.”
✓ Right: “Il faut que je déteste le froid de l’hiver.”
After il faut que French needs the subjunctive, so use déteste here, not the indicative déteste.
5. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Je déteste le froid de l’hiver hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai détesté le froid de l’hiver hier.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the passé composé (ai détesté), not the present.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the je form of détester in the Present indicative?
- A) détestes
- B) détestent
- C) détestez
- D) déteste
What is the ils/elles form of détester in the Present indicative?
- A) détestes
- B) déteste
- C) détestons
- D) détestent
What is the il/elle form of détester in the Passé simple?
- A) détestâtes
- B) détestâmes
- C) détestai
- D) détesta
What is the nous form of détester in the Imperfect?
- A) détestais
- B) détestiez
- C) détestions
- D) détestait
What is the tu form of détester in the Future?
- A) détesteras
- B) détesterez
- C) détestera
- D) détesteront
What is the je form of détester in the Conditional?
- A) détesteraient
- B) détesterait
- C) détesteriez
- D) détesterais
What is the il/elle form of détester in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) ai détesté
- B) as détesté
- C) ont détesté
- D) a détesté
What is the vous form of détester in the Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)?
- A) avions détesté
- B) aviez détesté
- C) avait détesté
- D) avais détesté
What is the gerund of détester?
- A) détesterai
- B) déteste
- C) en détestant
- D) détesté
What is the past participle of détester?
- A) détesté
- B) en détestant
- C) déteste
- D) détestais
Answer key
- D) déteste — the je form of détester in the present indicative is déteste.
- D) détestent — the ils/elles form of détester in the present indicative is détestent.
- D) détesta — the il/elle form of détester in the passé simple is détesta.
- C) détestions — the nous form of détester in the imperfect is détestions.
- A) détesteras — the tu form of détester in the future is détesteras.
- D) détesterais — the je form of détester in the conditional is détesterais.
- D) a détesté — the il/elle form of détester in the present perfect (passé composé) is a détesté.
- B) aviez détesté — the vous form of détester in the pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is aviez détesté.
- C) en détestant — the gerund of détester is en détestant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
- A) détesté — the past participle of détester is détesté; perfect tenses use avoir + détesté.
Frequently asked questions
What does détester mean in English?
détester means “to hate”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Je déteste le froid de l’hiver.” (“I hate the cold of winter.”). It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is détester regular or irregular?
détester is regular: its endings follow the standard -er pattern in every tense. The gerund is en détestant and the past participle is détesté.
What are the gerund and past participle of détester?
The gerund is en détestant — use it after en for actions in progress. The past participle is détesté — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai détesté.
What is the difference between détester and adorer?
détester means “to hate”, while adorer means “to adore”. They are easy to mix up because they appear in similar situations, but their meanings are different. If you are unsure, check the full conjugation page for adorer and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I hate” in French?
Say “Je déteste le froid de l’hiver.” — “I hate the cold of winter.” The je form of the present is déteste, and it is the form you will use most often.
How to learn détester
Start with the present tense: déteste, détestes, déteste, détestons, détestez, détestent. Say them in order every day for a week, then add the passé composé — ai détesté — and the imperfect — détestais. Next, learn the future (détesterai) and the conditional (détesterais), which share the same stem. Finally, tackle the subjunctive (déteste) and the imperative (déteste). Write one sentence of your own in each tense, using the examples above as models, and check every form against the tables. When you can produce all six persons of the present without looking, move on to the present-tense quiz.
Related pages
- détester in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- détester examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Adorer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Preferer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise détester with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise détester with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.