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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb emboîter

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The English translation of the French verb emboîter is “to fit in” or “to slot in.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahm-bwah-teh.”

The word emboîter comes from the French word “boîte,” meaning “box.” It is derived from the Latin word “buxeda,” which also means “box.”

In everyday French, the verb emboîter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to talk about hypothetical or possible actions in the past. It is formed by using the conditional conjugation of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of emboîter, which is “emboîté.”

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

  1. Si j’avais trouvé la bonne taille, j’aurais emboîté le puzzle. (If I had found the right size, I would have fit in the puzzle.)
  2. Elle aurait emboîté les pièces ensemble si elles n’étaient pas cassées. (She would have slotted the pieces together if they weren’t broken.)
  3. Nous serions arrivés plus tôt si nous avions emboîté nos bagages plus efficacement. (We would have arrived earlier if we had fit our luggage in more efficiently.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais emboîté Si j’avais su, je l’aurais emboîté. If I had known, I would have fit it in.
tu aurais emboîté Tu aurais emboîté avant de partir. You would have fit it in before leaving.
il aurait emboîté Il aurait emboîté les pièces ensemble. He would have fit the pieces together.
elle aurait emboîté Elle aurait emboîté les puzzles. She would have fit the puzzles together.
on aurait emboîté On aurait emboîté les pièces rapidement. We would have quickly fit the pieces together.
nous aurions emboîté Nous aurions emboîté les meubles. We would have fit the furniture together.
vous auriez emboîté Vous auriez emboîté les valises. You would have fit the suitcases together.
ils auraient emboîté Ils auraient emboîté les éléments. They would have fit the elements together.
elles auraient emboîté Elles auraient emboîté les blocs. They (female) would have fit the blocks together.

Other Conjugations for Emboîter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emboîter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Emboîter – 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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