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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empiéger

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The English translation of the French verb empiéger is “to ensnare” or “to trap.” It is pronounced as “ahm-pee-eh-zhay.”

The language origin of empiéger can be traced back to the Latin word “impedire,” which means “to hinder” or “to obstruct.” Over time, the word evolved in French to take on the meaning of trapping or ensnaring.

In everyday French, empiéger is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical 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 empiéger.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su, je ne me serais pas fait empiéger par cette arnaque. (If I had known, I wouldn’t have been ensnared by this scam.)
  2. Vous auriez été empiégé si je ne vous avais pas avertis à temps. (You would have been trapped if I hadn’t warned you in time.)
  3. Elle se serait empiégée dans ses propres mensonges si je n’avais pas découvert la vérité. (She would have ensnared herself in her own lies if I hadn’t uncovered the truth.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais empiégé Si j’avais eu un piège, j’aurais empiégé les rats. If I had a trap, I would have trapped the rats.
tu aurais empiégé Tu aurais empiégé le renard. You would have ensnared the fox.
il aurait empiégé Il aurait empiégé les oiseaux. He would have caught the birds.
elle aurait empiégé Elle aurait empiégé les souris. She would have trapped the mice.
on aurait empiégé On aurait empiégé les lapins. One would have caught the rabbits.
nous aurions empiégé Nous aurions empiégé les sangliers. We would have trapped the boars.
vous auriez empiégé Vous auriez empiégé les écureuils. You would have ensnared the squirrels.
ils auraient empiégé Ils auraient empiégé les cerfs. They would have caught the deer.
elles auraient empiégé Elles auraient empiégé les renards. They (female) would have trapped the foxes.

Other Conjugations for Empiéger.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empiéger
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Empiéger – 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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