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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb confiner

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The English translation of the French verb confiner is “to confine” or “to restrict.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced as “kaw-fuh-neh.”

The word “confiner” comes from the Latin word “confinare,” which means “to enclose” or “to limit.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical action in the past.

Examples of usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais su que la ville serait confinée, j’aurais acheté plus de provisions. (If I had known that the city would be confined, I would have bought more supplies.)
  2. Vous auriez été plus heureux si vous aviez confiné vos dépenses. (You would have been happier if you had restricted your expenses.)
  3. Ils auraient dû confiner leur chien pour éviter les problèmes. (They should have confined their dog to avoid problems.)

English translations:

  1. If I had known that the city would be under lockdown, I would have bought more supplies.
  2. You would have been happier if you had limited your expenses.
  3. They should have confined their dog to avoid problems.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais confiné Si j’avais été malade, je t’aurais confiné. If I had been sick, I would have confined you.
tu aurais confiné Tu aurais confiné tes amis. You would have confined your friends.
il aurait confiné Il aurait confiné sa famille. He would have confined his family.
elle aurait confiné Elle aurait confiné son animal de compagnie. She would have confined her pet.
on aurait confiné On aurait confiné toute la ville. One would have confined the entire city.
nous aurions confiné Nous aurions confiné notre quartier. We would have confined our neighborhood.
vous auriez confiné Vous auriez confiné vos employés. You would have confined your employees.
ils auraient confiné Ils auraient confiné les voyageurs. They would have confined the travelers.
elles auraient confiné Elles auraient confiné leurs enfants. They (female) would have confined their children.

Other Conjugations for Confiner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb confiner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Confiner – 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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