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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dorer

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The English translation of the French verb dorer is “to gild” or “to coat with gold”. It is pronounced as “doh-reh” in its infinitive form.

The word dorer comes from the Latin word “dorare”, which also means “to gild”. It is most commonly used in its figurative sense in everyday French, meaning “to embellish” or “to make more attractive”.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, dorer is used to talk about a hypothetical or possible event that took place in the past. It is formed by combining the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” with the past participle “doré”.

Three simple examples of dorer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais doré le cadre de la photo. (If I had had more time, I would have gilded the frame of the picture.)

  2. Tu aurais dû dorer la lettre avant de l’envoyer. (You should have gilded the letter before sending it.)

  3. Elle aurait été contente si tu avais doré son nom sur le gâteau. (She would have been happy if you had gilded her name on the cake.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais doré Si j’avais su, j’aurais doré mes cheveux. I would have gilded my hair.
tu aurais doré Tu aurais doré ton dessert. You would have gilded your dessert.
il aurait doré Il aurait doré ses chaussures. He would have gilded his shoes.
elle aurait doré Elle aurait doré ses ongles. She would have gilded her nails.
on aurait doré On aurait doré la statue. One would have gilded the statue.
nous aurions doré Nous aurions doré le gâteau. We would have gilded the cake.
vous auriez doré Vous auriez doré votre bijou. You would have gilded your jewelry.
ils auraient doré Ils auraient doré leurs trophées. They would have gilded their trophies.
elles auraient doré Elles auraient doré leur poésie. They (female) would have gilded their poetry.

Other Conjugations for Dorer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dorer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Dorer – 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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