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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cambrioler

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The English translation of the French verb cambrioler is “to burglarize” or “to break into.” It is pronounced as “kahm-bree-oh-lay” in the infinitive form.

Cambrioler comes from the French noun “cambre,” which means “chamber” or “room,” and the suffix “-ier,” which is often used to create verbs with the meaning of “to enter” or “to occupy.” Therefore, cambrioler can be translated literally as “to enter a room.”

In everyday French, cambrioler is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express the unreal past, or what would have happened if a certain condition had been met in the past. This tense is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

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

  1. Si j’avais oublié de verrouiller la porte, quelqu’un aurait pu cambrioler mon appartement. (If I had forgotten to lock the door, someone could have burglarized my apartment.)
  2. Elle aurait cambriolé la banque si elle avait eu plus de temps pour planifier le vol. (She would have burglarized the bank if she had had more time to plan the heist.)
  3. Nous serions arrivés trop tard pour l’attraper s’il avait réussi à cambrioler la maison. (We would have arrived too late to catch him if he had managed to break into the house.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais cambriolé Si j’avais eu plus d’expérience, je t’aurais cambriolé. If I had more experience, I would have burglarized you.
tu aurais cambriolé Tu aurais cambriolé la banque. You would have robbed the bank.
il aurait cambriolé Il aurait cambriolé la maison d’à côté. He would have burglarized the house next door.
elle aurait cambriolé Elle aurait cambriolé le magasin. She would have burglarized the store.
on aurait cambriolé On aurait cambriolé la bijouterie. One would have burglarized the jewelry store.
nous aurions cambriolé Nous aurions cambriolé la villa. We would have burglarized the villa.
vous auriez cambriolé Vous auriez cambriolé avec eux. You would have burglarized with them.
ils auraient cambriolé Ils auraient cambriolé le musée. They would have burglarized the museum.
elles auraient cambriolé Elles auraient cambriolé leur voisin. They (female) would have burglarized their neighbor.

Other Conjugations for Cambrioler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cambrioler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Cambrioler – 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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