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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empenner

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English translation: The English translation of the French verb empenner is “to feather (an arrow).”

Pronunciation: The infinitive form of empenner is pronounced as “ahm-pehn-nay.”

Language origin: Empenner comes from the Old French word “empanner,” which means “to put feathers on an arrow.” This is derived from the Latin word “panna,” which means “feather.”

Usage in Conditionnel Passé tense: In everyday French, empenner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical situation in the past or to express a regret about something that didn’t happen.

Examples:

  1. “Si j’avais empenné ma flèche correctement, j’aurais touché la cible.” (If I had feathered my arrow correctly, I would have hit the target.)

  2. “Ils se seraient empennés les flèches si elles n’étaient pas mouillées.” (They would have feathered their arrows if they were not wet.)

  3. “Elle aurait empenné toutes les flèches si elle avait eu plus de temps.” (She would have feathered all the arrows if she had more time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais empanné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais empanné. I would have prepared you.
tu aurais empanné Tu aurais empanné plus tôt. You would have prepared earlier.
il aurait empanné Il aurait empanné les flèches. He would have fletched the arrows.
elle aurait empanné Elle aurait empanné ses plumes. She would have prepared her feathers.
on aurait empanné On aurait empanné les flèches. One would have prepared the arrows.
nous aurions empanné Nous aurions empanné en famille. We would have prepared as a family.
vous auriez empanné Vous auriez empanné avec soin. You would have carefully prepared.
ils auraient empanné Ils auraient empanné les bâtons. They would have prepared the sticks.
elles auraient empanné Elles auraient empanné leurs arcs. They (female) would have prepared their bows.

Other Conjugations for Empenner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empenner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Empenner – 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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