donnerait

Donnerait is the third person singular form of the French verb donner in the present conditional tense. It corresponds to il donnerait or elle donnerait, and in general indicates a hypothetical action that would occur under certain conditions. The form can also appear in questions such as Donnerait-il... to pose a polite or formal inquiry.

Morphology and usage notes: The conditional present in French uses the infinitive as its stem for most -er verbs. Therefore, donnerait is built from donner plus the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Donnerait is typically used for il/elle/on, awaiting context to determine which subject is implied. It is distinct from the present tense donne, which states a real action, and from the imperfect or future tenses, which convey actual or forthcoming events.

Common contexts: Donnerait is frequently found in si-clauses of type 2, where a condition is unreal or hypothetical, as in Si j’avais de l’argent, il donnerait davantage. It also appears in statements about what someone would do under specific circumstances, and in formal or cautious questions such as Donn erait-il se proposer pour aider?

Examples:

- Si cela était possible, il donnerait son temps à l’association.

- Elle donnerait volontiers des conseils, mais elle ne sait pas si on les veut.

- Donn erait-il un coup de main, s’il vous plaît?

Étymologie and relation: Donnerait derives from the verb donner, itself from Latin donare meaning “to give.” The conditional form shares its origin with other -er verbs and is part of the mood used to express contingency, polite requests, or hypothetical statements in French.