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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb camoufler

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The English translation of the French verb camoufler is “to camouflage.” It is pronounced as “kah-moo-flay.”

The word camoufler comes from the French word camouflage, which was originally used in military contexts to refer to the act of concealing troops or equipment to blend in with their surroundings and avoid detection by the enemy. The word is derived from the Italian word camuffare, which means “to disguise.”

In everyday French, camoufler is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses actions that would have taken place under certain conditions in the past.

Here are three examples of its usage in this tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su que l’ennemi allait attaquer, j’aurais camouflé notre position. (If I had known that the enemy was going to attack, I would have camouflaged our position.)

  2. Nous aurions dû camoufler notre voiture pour qu’elle ne se fasse pas remarquer. (We should have camouflaged our car so that it wouldn’t stand out.)

  3. Si vous aviez camouflé votre identité, vous n’auriez pas été découverts par la police. (If you had camouflaged your identity, you wouldn’t have been discovered by the police.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais camouflé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais camouflé. I would have disguised you.
tu aurais camouflé Tu aurais camouflé le secret. You would have hidden the secret.
il aurait camouflé Il aurait camouflé son visage. He would have disguised his face.
elle aurait camouflé Elle aurait camouflé ses intentions. She would have concealed her intentions.
on aurait camouflé On aurait camouflé la vérité. One would have covered up the truth.
nous aurions camouflé Nous aurions camouflé nos traces. We would have covered our tracks.
vous auriez camouflé Vous auriez camouflé votre présence. You would have concealed your presence.
ils auraient camouflé Ils auraient camouflé leur identité. They would have disguised their identity.
elles auraient camouflé Elles auraient camouflé leur but. They (female) would have concealed their purpose.

Other Conjugations for Camoufler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb camoufler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Camoufler – 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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