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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embrocher

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The English translation of the French verb embrocher is “to skewer” or “to impale.” The infinitive form, “embrocher,” is pronounced as “om-bro-shay.”

The word embrocher comes from the Old French word “embracier” which means “to embrace” or “to encircle.” It was later derived from the Latin word “imbrachiare” which means “to inclose with the arms.”

In everyday French, embrocher is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses the conditional past. This tense is used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations in the past.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais embroché ces brochettes pour la fête. (If I had known, I would have skewered these kebabs for the party.)
  2. Nous aurions pu embrocher les légumes sur les brochettes avant de les cuire. (We could have skewered the vegetables on the skewers before cooking them.)
  3. Tu aurais embroché les crevettes sur le barbecue si je te l’avais demandé ? (Would you have skewered the shrimp on the barbecue if I had asked you?)

The infinitive form, “embrocher,” can also be used in everyday French in other tenses, such as the present tense:

  1. Je n’aime pas embrocher la viande, je préfère la faire cuire entière. (I don’t like skewering the meat, I prefer to cook it whole.)
  2. Est-ce que tu peux m’aider à embrocher les fruits pour la fondue au chocolat ? (Can you help me skewer the fruits for the chocolate fondue?)
  3. Les enfants adorent embrocher les marshmallows pour les faire griller sur le feu. (The children love skewering the marshmallows to roast them over the fire.)

English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais embroché ces brochettes pour la fête. (If I had known, I would have skewered these kebabs for the party.)
  2. Nous aurions pu embrocher les légumes sur les brochettes avant de les cuire. (We could have skewered the vegetables on the skewers before cooking them.)
  3. Tu aurais embroché les crevettes sur le barbecue si je te l’avais demandé ? (Would you have skewered the shrimp on the barbecue if I had asked you?)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais embroché Si tu m’avais aidé, je t’aurais embroché. If you had helped me, I would have skewered you.
tu aurais embroché Tu aurais embroché les brochettes. You would have skewered the kebabs.
il aurait embroché Il aurait embroché le poisson. He would have skewered the fish.
elle aurait embroché Elle aurait embroché les légumes. She would have skewered the vegetables.
on aurait embroché On aurait embroché des morceaux de viande. One would have skewered pieces of meat.
nous aurions embroché Nous aurions embroché le poulet. We would have skewered the chicken.
vous auriez embroché Vous auriez embroché les crevettes. You would have skewered the shrimp.
ils auraient embroché Ils auraient embroché les brochettes. They would have skewered the kebabs.
elles auraient embroché Elles auraient embroché les fruits. They (female) would have skewered the fruits.

Other Conjugations for Embrocher.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embrocher
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Embrocher – 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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