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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embarrasser

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The English translation of the French verb embarrasser is “to embarrass”. It is pronounced as “ahm-bah-ra-say”.

The word “embarrasser” comes from the French word “embarras”, which means difficulty or obstacle. It is derived from the Italian word “imbarrazzare” which means “to block, to obstruct”.

In everyday French, the verb embarrasser is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past. It is formed by using the conditional of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of the main verb.

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

  1. Si j’avais su, je t’aurais embarrassé devant tes amis. (If I had known, I would have embarrassed you in front of your friends.)
  2. Nous aurions été très embarrassés si nous avions oublié son anniversaire. (We would have been very embarrassed if we had forgotten her birthday.)
  3. Tu l’aurais embarrassée en lui demandant de l’argent. (You would have embarrassed her by asking her for money.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais embarrassé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais embarrassé. I would have embarrassed you if I had known.
tu aurais embarrassé Tu aurais embarrassé tout le monde. You would have embarrassed everyone.
il aurait embarrassé Il aurait embarrassé sa famille. He would have embarrassed his family.
elle aurait embarrassé Elle aurait embarrassé ses amis. She would have embarrassed her friends.
on aurait embarrassé On aurait embarrassé les invités. One would have embarrassed the guests.
nous aurions embarrassé Nous aurions embarrassé la situation. We would have embarrassed the situation.
vous auriez embarrassé Vous auriez embarrassé tout le monde. You would have embarrassed everyone.
ils auraient embarrassé Ils auraient embarrassé leurs collègues. They would have embarrassed their colleagues.
elles auraient embarrassé Elles auraient embarrassé leur patronne. They (female) would have embarrassed their boss.

Other Conjugations for Embarrasser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarrasser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Embarrasser – 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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