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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empêcher

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The English translation of empêcher is “to prevent” or “to stop.” It is pronounced as ahm-pe-shay.

Empêcher comes from the Old French word “empeschier” which means “to impede” or “to hinder.” It is derived from the Latin word “impedicare” meaning “to catch in a shackle” or “to hinder.”

In everyday French, empêcher is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to refer to something that could have been prevented in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent followed by the past participle of empêcher.

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

  1. Si j’avais été plus attentif, j’aurais pu empêcher cet accident. (If I had been more attentive, I could have prevented this accident.)

  2. Tu aurais dû me prévenir, cela aurait empêché beaucoup de problèmes. (You should have told me, it would have prevented a lot of problems.)

  3. Ils auraient pu empêcher la fuite du gaz, mais ils ont choisi de ne rien faire. (They could have stopped the gas leak, but they chose to do nothing.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais empêché Si j’avais su, je t’aurais empêché. I would have prevented you.
tu aurais empêché Tu aurais empêché le vol. You would have prevented the flight.
il aurait empêché Il aurait empêché le crime. He would have prevented the crime.
elle aurait empêché Elle aurait empêché la fuite. She would have prevented the escape.
on aurait empêché On aurait empêché l’incendie. One would have prevented the fire.
nous aurions empêché Nous aurions empêché le désastre. We would have prevented the disaster.
vous auriez empêché Vous auriez empêché le vol. You would have prevented the theft.
ils auraient empêché Ils auraient empêché le chaos. They would have prevented the chaos.
elles auraient empêché Elles auraient empêché le désastre. They (female) would have prevented the disaster.

Other Conjugations for Empêcher.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêcher
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Empêcher – 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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