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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empêner

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The English translation of the French verb empêner is “to prevent” or “to hinder.” It is pronounced as ahm-peh-neh.

The word empêner comes from the Old French word “empeschier,” which means “to hinder” or “to impede.” It is derived from the Latin word “impedicare,” which means “to shackle” or “to entangle.”

In everyday French, empêner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of empêner.

Three examples of empêner in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais su, je t’aurais empêné de partir. (If I had known, I would have prevented you from leaving.)
  2. Il aurait empêné le vol s’il avait été plus rapide. (He would have prevented the theft if he had been faster.)
  3. Nous serions empênés de participer à la réunion si elle avait été annulée. (We would have been prevented from attending the meeting if it had been cancelled.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais empêné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais empêné. I would have prevented you.
tu aurais empêné Tu aurais empêné le désastre. You would have prevented the disaster.
il aurait empêné Il aurait empêné la violence. He would have prevented the violence.
elle aurait empêné Elle aurait empêné la chute. She would have prevented the fall.
on aurait empêné On aurait empêné l’accident. One would have prevented the accident.
nous aurions empêné Nous aurions empêné la fraude. We would have prevented the fraud.
vous auriez empêné Vous auriez empêné le vol. You would have prevented the theft.
ils auraient empêné Ils auraient empêné le crime. They would have prevented the crime.
elles auraient empêné Elles auraient empêné le conflit. They (female) would have prevented the conflict.

Other Conjugations for Empêner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empêner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Empêner – 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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