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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb daigner

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The English translation of the French verb daigner is to deign or to condescend. It is pronounced “dayn-yay”.

The word daigner comes from the Latin word dignare, meaning “to deem worthy”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense.

Here are three examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’aurais daigné lui parler si elle m’avait écouté. (I would have deigned to speak to her if she had listened to me.)

  2. Tu aurais daigné m’inviter à ta fête d’anniversaire. (You would have condescended to invite me to your birthday party.)

  3. Nous aurions daigné accepter l’offre s’il y avait eu plus d’avantages. (We would have deigned to accept the offer if there had been more benefits.)

Table of the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of daigner

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais daigné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais daigné. I would have deigned to do it for you.
tu aurais daigné Tu aurais daigné venir avec moi. You would have deigned to come with me.
il aurait daigné Il aurait daigné m’aider. He would have deigned to help me.
elle aurait daigné Elle aurait daigné écouter mes conseils. She would have deigned to listen to my advice.
on aurait daigné On aurait daigné m’inviter. One would have deigned to invite me.
nous aurions daigné Nous aurions daigné faire un effort. We would have deigned to make an effort.
vous auriez daigné Vous auriez daigné me contacter. You would have deigned to contact me.
ils auraient daigné Ils auraient daigné me pardonner. They would have deigned to forgive me.
elles auraient daigné Elles auraient daigné m’écouter. They (female) would have deigned to listen to me.

Other Conjugations for Daigner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb daigner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb daigner  (this article)

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

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


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Daigner – About the French Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Passé” is a compound tense used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is formed by combining the conditional of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

Start with the conditional of the auxiliary verb: For most verbs, use “aurais” (for “avoir”) or “serais” (for “être”) as the conditional form. 

With “avoir”: j’aurais, tu aurais, il/elle/on aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez, ils/elles auraient. 
With “être”: je serais, tu serais, il/elle/on serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils/elles seraient. 

Add the past participle of the main verb to this conditional form. 
For example, if you want to say “I would have done,” you would use “j’aurais fait.” If you want to say “She would have gone,” you would use “elle serait allée.”

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Unreal Past Scenarios

The Conditionnel Passé is often used to talk about actions that did not happen in the past, but you are speculating about what would have occurred if they had. It’s a way to discuss hypothetical situations in the past. 

Si j’avais su, je t’aurais aidé. (If I had known, I would have helped you.)
Il serait venu s’il avait eu le temps. (He would have come if he had had the time.) 

Polite Requests or Suggestions

It can be used to make polite requests or suggestions in the past. 

Pourriez-vous m’aider, s’il vous plaît ? (Could you have helped me, please?) 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

It can convey doubt or uncertainty regarding past events.

Il aurait peut-être oublié notre rendez-vous. (He might have forgotten our appointment.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Conditional Present

You can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional present to describe past actions that were hypothetical at the time they were spoken about. J’aurais aimé que tu m’appelles hier. (I would have liked you to call me yesterday.) 

Indicative Past Tenses

You might use the Conditionnel Passé alongside indicative past tenses like the passé composé to contrast hypothetical and real past events. Il est venu hier, mais s’il avait pu, il serait venu la semaine dernière. (He came yesterday, but if he could have, he would have come last week.) 

Conditional Future

In some cases, you can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional future to discuss unreal past events that could have consequences in the future. Si j’avais réussi mon examen, j’aurais un meilleur travail. (If I had passed my exam, I would have a better job.)

Summary

In summary, the Conditionnel Passé is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is often used in conjunction with other tenses to convey various nuances in French, allowing speakers to discuss imaginary past scenarios, make polite requests, or express doubt about past events.

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