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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dédier

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The English translation of the French verb dédier is “to dedicate” or “to devote.” It is pronounced “day-dee-ay” in its infinitive form.

The word dédier comes from the Latin word “dedicare,” meaning “to consecrate.” It entered the French language in the 12th century, and has been used in various forms and tenses since then.

In everyday French, dédier is most often used in the passé composé tense to talk about actions that have been dedicated or devoted in the past. However, it can also be used in the conditionnel passé tense to express dedication or devotion that would have occurred in a hypothetical situation.

Here are three examples of dédier used in the conditionnel passé tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais eu le temps, j’aurais dédié ce livre à mon père. (If I had had the time, I would have dedicated this book to my father.)
  2. Elle aurait dédié sa vie à la protection de l’environnement si elle avait choisi une autre carrière. (She would have devoted her life to protecting the environment if she had chosen a different career.)
  3. Nous aurions dédié notre chanson préférée à nos amis lors de notre mariage. (We would have dedicated our favorite song to our friends at our wedding.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dédié Si j’avais su, je t’aurais dédié cette chanson. If I had known, I would have dedicated this song to you.
tu aurais dédié Tu aurais dédié ce livre à ta sœur. You would have dedicated this book to your sister.
il aurait dédié Il aurait dédié son poème à sa mère. He would have dedicated his poem to his mother.
elle aurait dédié Elle aurait dédié sa vie à la musique. She would have dedicated her life to music.
on aurait dédié On aurait dédié ce monument aux soldats. One would have dedicated this monument to the soldiers.
nous aurions dédié Nous aurions dédié notre temps à aider les autres. We would have dedicated our time to helping others.
vous auriez dédié Vous auriez dédié cette pièce à votre grand-mère. You would have dedicated this room to your grandmother.
ils auraient dédié Ils auraient dédié leur victoire à leur entraîneur. They would have dedicated their victory to their coach.
elles auraient dédié Elles auraient dédié leur succès à leur famille. They (female) would have dedicated their success to their family.

Other Conjugations for Dédier.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dédier
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dédier – 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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