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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dater

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The English translation of the French verb dater is “to date.” It is pronounced as “da-TAY.”

The word dater comes from the Latin word “data,” meaning “given or granted.” In everyday French, it is most often used to indicate the act of putting a date on something or determining the date of an event.

In the Conditionnel Présent tense, dater is typically used to express a hypothetical action or event that would take place in the future if certain conditions were met.

Here are three simple examples of dater in the Conditionnel Présent tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Si je pouvais voyager dans le temps, j’aimerais dater l’arrivée des dinosaures. (If I could travel through time, I would like to date the arrival of the dinosaurs.)

  2. Nous pourrions dater notre mariage à l’été prochain si nous gagnions à la loterie. (We could date our wedding for next summer if we won the lottery.)

  3. Est-ce que vous pourriez dater ce document pour le 17 mai? (Could you date this document for May 17th?)

Table of the Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of dater

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je daterais Je daterais mes souvenirs. I would date my memories.
tu daterais Tu daterais mieux tes documents. You would date your documents better.
il daterait Il daterait cette découverte. He would date this discovery.
elle daterait Elle daterait son journal. She would date her diary.
on daterait On daterait les événements. One would date the events.
nous daterions Nous daterions cette photo ensemble. We would date this photo together.
vous dateriez Vous dateriez des fossiles. You would date fossils.
ils dateraient Ils dateraient ces artefacts. They would date these artifacts.
elles dateraient Elles dateraient ce manuscrit. They would date this manuscript.

Other Conjugations for Dater.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dater
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dater (this article)

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

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

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

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

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Dater – About the French Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Présent” tense, often called the present conditional tense in English, is used to express actions or events that are considered hypothetical, possible, or uncertain in the present or future. It’s the equivalent of “would” or “could” in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Conditionnel Présent tense for regular verbs, you take the infinitive form of the verb and add the appropriate endings. For example, using the verb “parler” (to speak): 

Je parlerais (I would speak) 
Tu parlerais (You would speak)
Il/elle/on parlerait (He/she/one would speak)
Nous parlerions (We would speak) 
Vous parleriez (You would speak)
Ils/elles parleraient (They would speak) 

Note – For irregular verbs, the stem might change, so you need to memorize the conjugation.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Polite Requests

The Conditionnel Présent is often used to make polite requests or suggestions. Instead of using the imperative, which can be more direct, the conditional is softer and more courteous. For example: “Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît” (I would like a coffee, please). 

Expressing Hypothetical Situations

It’s used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations. For instance, “Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une nouvelle voiture” (If I had money, I would buy a new car). 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

The conditional can convey doubt or uncertainty about something in the present or future. “Il serait peut-être en retard” (He might be late).

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Tense

The Conditionnel Présent is often used with the present tense to express hypothetical or conditional statements. For example, “Si tu viens demain, nous irons au cinéma” (If you come tomorrow, we will go to the movies). 

Past Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can also be used with past tenses like the imparfait to indicate a past hypothetical action. For instance, “J’aurais aimé être là hier” (I would have liked to be there yesterday). 

Future Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can be combined with the future tense to indicate future actions that are dependent on certain conditions. For example, “Il viendrait si tu l’invitais” (He would come if you invited him).
 

Conditional Perfect

If you want to express a hypothetical action in the past that didn’t happen, you can use the Conditionnel Présent with the past participle to form the conditional perfect. For example, “Il aurait fini son travail s’il n’était pas tombé malade” (He would have finished his work if he hadn’t gotten sick).

Summary

The Conditionnel Présent is a versatile tense in French, allowing speakers to discuss possibilities, hypothetical scenarios, and make polite requests. It’s essential to understand its usage patterns and how it interacts with other tenses to communicate effectively in various situations.

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