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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empoigner

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The English translation of the French verb empoigner is “to grab/hold/seize.” It is pronounced as [ɑ̃pwɛɲe] in the infinitive form.

The word empoigner comes from the Old French word “empunier,” which means “to seize” or “to take control of.” It is derived from the Latin word “impugnare,” meaning “to attack.” In everyday French, empoigner is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional past tense. This tense is used to describe actions that would have occurred in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Three simple examples of empoigner in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations are:

  1. Si tu avais écouté mes conseils, tu aurais empoigné cette opportunité. (If you had listened to my advice, you would have seized this opportunity.)

  2. Nous aurions empoigné le voleur s’il n’était pas parti si vite. (We would have grabbed the thief if he hadn’t left so quickly.)

  3. Si je n’avais pas eu peur, j’aurais empoigné le serpent sans hésitation. (If I hadn’t been scared, I would have grabbed the snake without hesitation.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais empoigné Si j’avais été plus rapide, je t’aurais empoigné. If I had been faster, I would have grabbed you.
tu aurais empoigné Tu aurais empoigné l’occasion. You would have seized the opportunity.
il aurait empoigné Il aurait empoigné le volant. He would have grabbed the steering wheel.
elle aurait empoigné Elle aurait empoigné le problème. She would have tackled the problem.
on aurait empoigné On aurait empoigné la situation. One would have handled the situation.
nous aurions empoigné Nous aurions empoigné nos armes. We would have grabbed our weapons.
vous auriez empoigné Vous auriez empoigné le défi. You would have taken on the challenge.
ils auraient empoigné Ils auraient empoigné leurs adversaires. They would have grabbed their opponents.
elles auraient empoigné Elles auraient empoigné leur chance. They (female) would have seized their chance.

Other Conjugations for Empoigner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empoigner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Empoigner – 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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