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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embuer

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The English translation of the French verb embuer is “to fog up” or “to mist up.” It is pronounced as “ahn-bew-eh” in its infinitive form.

The word embuer comes from the Old French term “embué,” which means “covered with mist or dew.” It is derived from the Latin word “umbra,” meaning “shadow” or “shade.”

In everyday French, embuer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses actions that would have happened in the past under certain conditions. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of embuer, which is “embué.”

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

  1. Si tu avais laissé la fenêtre ouverte, elle se serait embuée. (If you had left the window open, it would have fogged up.)

  2. Nous serions arrivés plus tôt si la voiture ne s’était pas embuée. (We would have arrived earlier if the car hadn’t fogged up.)

  3. J’aurais pris des photos de la vue si mon appareil photo ne s’était pas embué. (I would have taken pictures of the view if my camera hadn’t fogged up.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais embué Si j’étais plus attentif, je t’aurais embué. If I had paid more attention, I would have fogged you.
tu aurais embué Tu aurais embué la vitre. You would have fogged the window.
il aurait embué Il aurait embué ses lunettes. He would have fogged his glasses.
elle aurait embué Elle aurait embué la salle de bain. She would have fogged the bathroom.
on aurait embué On aurait embué le miroir. One would have fogged the mirror.
nous aurions embué Nous aurions embué nos verres. We would have fogged our glasses.
vous auriez embué Vous auriez embué la voiture. You would have fogged the car.
ils auraient embué Ils auraient embué la chambre. They would have fogged the bedroom.
elles auraient embué Elles auraient embué la cuisine. They (female) would have fogged the kitchen.

Other Conjugations for Embuer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embuer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Embuer – 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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