dédommager — French conjugation

to compensate

Frequency#1060Irregular

Indicative

Present (Présent) Irregular

Use the présent for habits, what is true now, and what is about to happen soon. A single set of endings covers what English often splits into “I speak” and “I am speaking”.

Elle parle arabe et français.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jedédommageI compensate
tudédommagesyou compensate
il/elledédommagehe/she/it compensates
nousdédommageonswe compensate
vousdédommagezyou (pl.) compensate
ils/ellesdédommagentthey compensate

Simple past (Passé simple) Irregular

The passé simple narrates completed past events in a literary or very formal style. In everyday conversation people use the passé composé instead, so you mostly meet this form in books and journalism.

Ils virent le roi s'approcher.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jedédommageaiI compensated
tudédommageasyou compensated
il/elledédommageahe/she/it compensated
nousdédommageâmeswe compensated
vousdédommageâtesyou (pl.) compensated
ils/ellesdédommagèrentthey compensated

Imperfect (Imparfait) Irregular

The imparfait describes ongoing or repeated past actions and sets the background — how things were, what used to happen, weather, feelings. The passé composé, by contrast, marks single completed events.

Quand j'étais petit, j'allais souvent à la piscine.

PronounFrench
jedédommageais
tudédommageais
il/elledédommageait
nousdédommagions
vousdédommagiez
ils/ellesdédommageaient

Conditional (Conditionnel) Regular

The conditionnel is for polite questions and requests, “would”-type hypotheticals, and what someone said would happen. It is also the usual consequent clause in si + imparfait → conditionnel patterns.

Pourriez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?

PronounFrenchEnglish
jedédommageraisI would compensate
tudédommageraisyou would compensate
il/elledédommageraithe/she/it would compensate
nousdédommagerionswe would compensate
vousdédommageriezyou (pl.) would compensate
ils/ellesdédommageraientthey would compensate

Future (Futur) Regular

The futur is for future plans and objective predictions. In speech, aller + infinitive is often clearer for the immediate future, while the simple future is common for facts further ahead or in writing.

Demain, nous dînerons chez eux.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jedédommageraiI will compensate
tudédommagerasyou will compensate
il/elledédommagerahe/she/it will compensate
nousdédommageronswe will compensate
vousdédommagerezyou (pl.) will compensate
ils/ellesdédommagerontthey will compensate

Present perfect (Passé composé) Regular

The passé composé is the main spoken past for completed, bounded actions (often with a time adverb). Use avoir with most verbs; être is required for a fixed group of motion/inchange and all pronominal verbs, with participle agreement when necessary.

Elle est venue tôt, puis elle a téléphoné.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jej'ai dédommagéI have compensated
tutu as dédommagéyou have compensated
il/elleil/elle a dédommagéhe/she/it has compensated
nousnous avons dédommagéwe have compensated
vousvous avez dédommagéyou (pl.) have compensated
ils/ellesils/elles ont dédommagéthey have compensated

Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait) Regular

The plus-que-parfait is the “earlier past”: one action was already over before another past moment. It answers “had already” when a story is anchored in a past time.

Déjà, il avait fini quand je suis arrivé.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jej'avais dédommagéI had compensated
tutu avais dédommagéyou had compensated
il/elleil/elle avait dédommagéhe/she/it had compensated
nousnous avions dédommagéwe had compensated
vousvous aviez dédommagéyou (pl.) had compensated
ils/ellesils/elles avaient dédommagéthey had compensated

Conditional perfect (Conditionnel passé) Regular

The conditionnel passé states what would have been true, plans that failed, and unreal past if-clauses (often with si + plus-que-parfait in the apodose).

J'aurais dit oui, mais c'était impossible.

PronounFrench
jej'aurais dédommagé
tutu aurais dédommagé
il/elleil/elle aurait dédommagé
nousnous aurions dédommagé
vousvous auriez dédommagé
ils/ellesils/elles auraient dédommagé

Future perfect (Futur antérieur) Regular

The futur antérieur marks an action that will be finished before a later future moment (by then I will have…). It can also suggest a conjecture about a recent past fact in formal or literary use.

D'ici samedi, j'aurai lu le rapport.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jej'aurai dédommagéI will have compensated
tutu auras dédommagéyou will have compensated
il/elleil/elle aura dédommagéhe/she/it will have compensated
nousnous aurons dédommagéwe will have compensated
vousvous aurez dédommagéyou (pl.) will have compensated
ils/ellesils/elles auront dédommagéthey will have compensated

Subjunctive

Present subjunctive (Subjonctif présent) Regular

The present subjunctive appears in subordinate clauses after desire, doubt, fear, need, and many impersonals, usually when the subject of the subordinate is different. Learn common triggers: il faut que, je veux que, je doute que…

Il faut qu'il parte avant midi.

PronounFrench
jedédommage
tudédommages
il/elledédommage
nousdédommagions
vousdédommagiez
ils/ellesdédommagent

Imperfect subjunctive (Subjonctif imparfait) Regular

The imparfait du subjonctif is a literary and formal past subjunctive. In modern speech, the present subjunctive usually replaces it for the same meaning.

Bien qu'il fût fatigué, il continua.

PronounFrench
jedédommageasse
tudédommageasses
il/elledédommageât
nousdédommageassions
vousdédommageassiez
ils/ellesdédommageassent

Other forms

Imperative (Impératif) Regular

The imperative is for direct orders and advice to tu, nous, and vous. For many -er verbs, the tu form drops the final -s of the present (parle!); negatives use the subjunctive-like forms in practice.

Fermons la porte, s'il vous plaît !

PronounFrench
tudédommage
nousdédommageons
vousdédommagez