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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb damner

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The English translation of the French verb damner is “to damn” or “to condemn.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “dahm-nay.”

The word damner comes from the Latin word “damnare,” meaning “to condemn.” It entered the French language in the 12th century.

In everyday French, damner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action in the past. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of damner.

Three simple examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais su, je l’aurais damné. (If I had known, I would have condemned him.)

  2. Elle se serait damnée pour lui. (She would have damned herself for him.)

  3. Nous aurions été damnés sans leur aide. (We would have been damned without their help.)

  4. If I had known, I would have condemned him.

  5. She would have damned herself for him.

  6. We would have been damned without their help.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais damné Si j’avais su, je me serais damné. I would have damned myself.
tu te serais damné Tu te serais damné plus tôt. You would have damned yourself earlier.
il se serait damné Il se serait damné pour de l’argent. He would have damned himself for money.
elle se serait damnée Elle se serait damnée pour son amour. She would have damned herself for her love.
on se serait damné On se serait damné pour le pouvoir. One would have damned oneself for power.
nous nous serions damnés Nous nous serions damnés pour la vérité. We would have damned ourselves for the truth.
vous vous seriez damnés Vous vous seriez damnés avec elle. You would have damned yourselves with her.
ils se seraient damnés Ils se seraient damnés pour leur patrie. They would have damned themselves for their country.
elles se seraient damnées Elles se seraient damnées pour leur liberté. They (female) would have damned themselves for their freedom.

Other Conjugations for Damner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb damner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Damner – 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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