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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb documenter

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of documenter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb documenter is “to document.” It is pronounced as “doh-koo-mahn-teh” in the infinitive form.

The verb documenter comes from the Latin word “documentum” meaning “lesson” or “proof.” It entered the French language around the 16th century and has been used in its current form since the 19th century.

In everyday French, the verb documenter 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 auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense followed by the past participle of documenter.

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

  1. Si j’avais documenté mes recherches, j’aurais obtenu plus de crédibilité. (If I had documented my research, I would have gained more credibility.)
  2. Nous aurions documenté notre voyage, mais nous avons perdu l’appareil photo. (We would have documented our trip, but we lost the camera.)
  3. Les journalistes seraient venus nous interviewer si nous avions documenté nos découvertes. (The journalists would have come to interview us if we had documented our findings.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais documenté J’aurais documenté mes voyages. I would have documented my travels.
tu aurais documenté Tu aurais documenté le projet. You would have documented the project.
il aurait documenté Il aurait documenté ses recherches. He would have documented his research.
elle aurait documenté Elle aurait documenté ses expériences. She would have documented her experiences.
on aurait documenté On aurait documenté toutes les étapes. One would have documented all the steps.
nous aurions documenté Nous aurions documenté nos découvertes. We would have documented our findings.
vous auriez documenté Vous auriez documenté ce processus. You would have documented this process.
ils auraient documenté Ils auraient documenté leur travail. They would have documented their work.
elles auraient documenté Elles auraient documenté leurs voyages. They (female) would have documented their travels.

Other Conjugations for Documenter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb documenter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the documenter Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Documenter – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb documenter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts