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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dédaigner

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The English translation of the French verb dédaigner is “to scorn” or “to disdain.” It is pronounced as “day-day-nay.”

Dédaigner comes from the Old French word “dedaignier,” which is derived from the Latin word “dedignari,” meaning “to reject” or “to despise.” It is most often used in everyday French to express a strong feeling of contempt or scorn towards someone or something.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, dédaigner is often used to express a hypothetical or unrealized action in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Si tu m’avais dédaigné, je ne serais jamais tombé amoureux de toi. (If you had scorned me, I would have never fallen in love with you.)
  2. J’aurais dédaigné cette offre s’il n’y avait pas eu autant d’argent en jeu. (I would have disdained this offer if there hadn’t been so much money involved.)
  3. Elle aurait dédaigné mes conseils et maintenant elle regrette. (She would have scorned my advice and now she regrets it.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dédaigné Si j’avais été plus riche, je t’aurais dédaigné. If I had been richer, I would have scorned you.
tu aurais dédaigné Tu aurais dédaigné leur invitation. You would have spurned their invitation.
il aurait dédaigné Il aurait dédaigné de me saluer. He would have refused to greet me.
elle aurait dédaigné Elle aurait dédaigné de m’aider. She would have refused to help me.
on aurait dédaigné On aurait dédaigné de discuter avec eux. One would have refused to discuss with them.
nous aurions dédaigné Nous aurions dédaigné ces accusations. We would have scorned these accusations.
vous auriez dédaigné Vous auriez dédaigné d’écouter mes conseils. You would have disregarded my advice.
ils auraient dédaigné Ils auraient dédaigné d’avouer leurs erreurs. They would have refused to admit their mistakes.
elles auraient dédaigné Elles auraient dédaigné de lui parler. They (female) would have refused to talk to him.

Other Conjugations for Dédaigner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dédaigner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dédaigner – 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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