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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embarbouiller

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The English translation of the French verb embarbouiller is “to confuse” or “to muddle up.” It is pronounced as “ahm-bahr-boo-ye.”

The origin of embarbouiller can be traced back to the Old French word “barbouillier,” meaning “to smear” or “to daub.” It is a combination of the prefix “em-” which indicates a movement towards, and “barbouiller.”

In everyday French, embarbouiller is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have taken place in the past. It is typically used to describe a situation where someone was confused or muddled up about something in the past.

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

  1. J’aurais embarbouillé mes mots si le patron m’avait posé plus de questions. (I would have muddled up my words if the boss had asked me more questions.)

  2. Tu aurais embarbouillé les papiers en les laissant sous la pluie. (You would have confused the papers by leaving them in the rain.)

  3. Elle aurait embarbouillé les plans en ajoutant des informations incorrectes. (She would have muddled up the plans by adding incorrect information.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais embarbouillé Je me serais embarbouillé(e) devant tout le monde. I would have stumbled in front of everyone.
tu aurais embarbouillé Tu aurais embarbouillé le discours. You would have mumbled the speech.
il aurait embarbouillé Il aurait embarbouillé ses excuses. He would have bungled his apologies.
elle aurait embarbouillé Elle aurait embarbouillé sa présentation. She would have botched her presentation.
on aurait embarbouillé On aurait embarbouillé l’histoire. One would have muddled the story.
nous aurions embarbouillé Nous aurions embarbouillé le projet. We would have messed up the project.
vous auriez embarbouillé Vous auriez embarbouillé la recette. You would have messed up the recipe.
ils auraient embarbouillé Ils auraient embarbouillé leur entrevue. They would have bungled their interview.
elles auraient embarbouillé Elles auraient embarbouillé leur argument. They (female) would have muddled their argument.

Other Conjugations for Embarbouiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarbouiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Embarbouiller – 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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