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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dédommager

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The English translation of the French verb dédommager is “to compensate” or “to reimburse.” It is pronounced as “day-doh-mah-zhay.”

Dédommager comes from the Latin word “dommagium,” which means “damage” or “harm.” It entered the French language in the 14th century and has been used in its current form since the 17th century.

In everyday French, the Conditionnel Passé tense is often used to express a hypothetical or possible action that would have occurred in the past. Dédommager is commonly used in this tense to express the idea of “would have compensated” or “would have reimbursed.”

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su que tu avais perdu ton porte-monnaie, je t’aurais dédommagé. (If I had known you lost your wallet, I would have compensated you.)
  2. Nous aurions dédommagé les clients mécontents si nous avions reçu des plaintes. (We would have compensated the unhappy clients if we had received complaints.)
  3. Elle m’aurait dédommagé pour les frais de voyage si elle avait annulé notre voyage à la dernière minute. (She would have reimbursed me for the travel expenses if she had cancelled our trip at the last minute.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dédommagé Si j’avais eu plus de temps, je t’aurais dédommagé. I would have compensated you if I had more time.
tu aurais dédommagé Tu aurais dédommagé tes clients. You would have compensated your clients.
il aurait dédommagé Il aurait dédommagé les victimes. He would have compensated the victims.
elle aurait dédommagé Elle aurait dédommagé son employé. She would have compensated her employee.
on aurait dédommagé On aurait dédommagé les parties lésées. One would have compensated the injured parties.
nous aurions dédommagé Nous aurions dédommagé les voyageurs. We would have compensated the travelers.
vous auriez dédommagé Vous auriez dédommagé vos partenaires. You would have compensated your partners.
ils auraient dédommagé Ils auraient dédommagé les sinistrés. They would have compensated the disaster victims.
elles auraient dédommagé Elles auraient dédommagé leurs employés. They (female) would have compensated their employees.

Other Conjugations for Dédommager.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dédommager
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dédommager – 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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