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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb douter

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The English translation of the French verb douter is “to doubt.” It is pronounced as “doo-teh” in its infinitive form.

The language origin of douter can be traced back to the Latin word “dubius,” meaning uncertain or doubtful. In everyday French, douter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action in the past.

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

  1. J’aurais douté de ta parole si je ne t’avais pas vu faire. (I would have doubted your word if I hadn’t seen you do it.)

  2. Elle aurait douté de ses capacités si elle n’avait pas reçu ce prix. (She would have doubted her abilities if she hadn’t received that award.)

  3. Nous aurions douté de la véracité de cette histoire si nous ne l’avions pas entendue de la bouche du protagoniste. (We would have doubted the truth of this story if we hadn’t heard it from the mouth of the protagonist.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais douté Si j’avais su, j’aurais douté. If I had known, I would have doubted.
tu aurais douté Tu aurais douté plus tôt. You would have doubted earlier.
il aurait douté Il aurait douté de ses capacités. He would have doubted his abilities.
elle aurait douté Elle aurait douté de son choix. She would have doubted her choice.
on aurait douté On aurait douté de la décision. One would have doubted the decision.
nous aurions douté Nous aurions douté ensemble. We would have doubted together.
vous auriez douté Vous auriez douté du résultat. You would have doubted the outcome.
ils auraient douté Ils auraient douté de son honnêteté. They would have doubted his honesty.
elles auraient douté Elles auraient douté de leur avenir. They (female) would have doubted their future.

Other Conjugations for Douter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb douter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Douter – 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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