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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embrouiller

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The English translation of the French verb embrouiller is “to confuse” or “to muddle.” It is pronounced as ahm-broo-ye.

The language origin of embrouiller can be traced back to the Old French word “embrouillier,” which means “to mix up” or “to entangle.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or imagined action or situation in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. Si je n’avais pas été aussi fatigué, je n’aurais pas embrouillé les dates de mes rendez-vous. (If I hadn’t been so tired, I wouldn’t have confused the dates of my appointments.)

  2. Elle aurait réussi à expliquer le problème si son collègue ne l’avait pas embrouillée. (She would have been able to explain the issue if her colleague hadn’t confused her.)

  3. J’aurais préféré que tu ne m’aies pas embrouillé avec tes fausses excuses. (I would have preferred if you hadn’t confused me with your false excuses.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais embrouillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais embrouillé. I would have confused you.
tu aurais embrouillé Tu aurais embrouillé plus tôt. You would have confused earlier.
il aurait embrouillé Il aurait embrouillé du film. He would have confused about the movie.
elle aurait embrouillé Elle aurait embrouillé sa mère. She would have confused her mother.
on aurait embrouillé On aurait embrouillé de tout ça. One would have confused about all of that.
nous aurions embrouillé Nous aurions embrouillé en français. We would have confused in French.
vous auriez embrouillé Vous auriez embrouillé avec eux. You would have confused with them.
ils auraient embrouillé Ils auraient embrouillé de politique. They would have confused about politics.
elles auraient embrouillé Elles auraient embrouillé à leurs amis. They (female) would have confused with their friends.

Other Conjugations for Embrouiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embrouiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Embrouiller – 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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