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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dénigrer

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The English translation of the French verb dénigrer is “to denigrate” or “to belittle.” It is pronounced as “dey-nee-gruh” in its infinitive form.

The word dénigrer comes from the Latin word “denigrare,” which means “to blacken” or “to make dark.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense.

Here are three simple examples of dénigrer in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, je n’aurais pas dénigré ton travail. (If I had known, I wouldn’t have denigrated your work.)
  2. Il aurait été très blessé si tu avais dénigré son intelligence. (He would have been very hurt if you had denigrated his intelligence.)
  3. Nous aurions dénigré cette idée s’il n’y avait pas eu autant de critiques positives. (We would have denigrated this idea if there hadn’t been so many positive reviews.)

In these examples, dénigrer is used to express the idea of speaking ill of someone or something, often with the intention of belittling or disparaging them. The Conditionnel Passé tense is used to indicate that the action of dénigrer would have taken place in the past, but it did not actually happen.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais dénigré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais dénigré. I would have denigrated you.
tu aurais dénigré Tu aurais dénigré plus tôt. You would have denigrated earlier.
il aurait dénigré Il aurait dénigré le travail de sa collègue. He would have denigrated his colleague’s work.
elle aurait dénigré Elle aurait dénigré ses ennemis. She would have denigrated her enemies.
on aurait dénigré On aurait dénigré ses idées. One would have denigrated his/her ideas.
nous aurions dénigré Nous aurions dénigré en public. We would have denigrated in public.
vous auriez dénigré Vous auriez dénigré les autres. You would have denigrated others.
ils auraient dénigré Ils auraient dénigré leurs concurrents. They would have denigrated their competitors.
elles auraient dénigré Elles auraient dénigré son travail. They (female) would have denigrated her work.

Other Conjugations for Dénigrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dénigrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dénigrer – 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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