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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb durer

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of durer. 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 durer is “to last” or “to endure.” It is pronounced as “doo-ray” in its infinitive form.

The word durer comes from the Latin word “dūrare,” which also means “to last” or “to endure.” In everyday French, durer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the past conditional tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action that would have occurred in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Some examples of durer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus d’argent, j’aurais dûré plus longtemps en vacances. (If I had had more money, I would have lasted longer on vacation.)

  2. Il aurait dûré toute la nuit s’il n’avait pas été réveillé par le bruit. (He would have lasted all night if he had not been woken up by the noise.)

  3. Nous aurions dûé plus de temps à l’école si nous n’avions pas eu autant de devoirs. (We would have lasted longer at school if we had not had so much homework.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais duré Si j’avais travaillé plus, je serais aurais duré beaucoup plus longtemps. If I had worked more, I would have lasted much longer.
tu aurais duré Tu aurais duré plus longtemps si tu avais pris des pauses. You would have lasted longer if you had taken breaks.
il aurait duré Il aurait duré toute la journée s’il avait plus d’énergie. He would have lasted all day if he had more energy.
elle aurait duré Elle aurait duré plus longtemps si elle avait utilisé les bons outils. She would have lasted longer if she had used the right tools.
on aurait duré On aurait duré plus longtemps si on avait planifié notre voyage. We would have lasted longer if we had planned our trip.
nous aurions duré Nous aurions duré plus longtemps si nous nous étions entrainés. We would have lasted longer if we had trained.
vous auriez duré Vous auriez duré plus longtemps si vous aviez pris soin de vous. You would have lasted longer if you had taken care of yourself.
ils auraient duré Ils auraient duré plus longtemps s’ils avaient économisé de l’argent. They would have lasted longer if they had saved money.
elles auraient duré Elles auraient duré plus longtemps si elles avaient pris des vacances. They (female) would have lasted longer if they had taken a vacation.

Other Conjugations for Durer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb durer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    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 durer Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Durer – 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 durer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts