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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb en occuper

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The English translation of the French verb en occuper is “to occupy oneself.” It is pronounced as “ahn oh-koo-pay.”

The verb en occuper comes from the Latin word “ocupare,” meaning “to seize, take, or possess.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been in use since.

In everyday French, en occuper is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to talk about a hypothetical or unrealized 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 the verb.

Here are 3 simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, je me serais en occupé. (If I had had more time, I would have occupied myself.)
  2. Nous aurions dû en nous occuper plus tôt. (We should have occupied ourselves with it earlier.)
  3. Je me serais en occupé si j’avais su quoi faire. (I would have occupied myself if I had known what to do.)

English translations:

  1. If I had had more time, I would have occupied myself.
  2. We should have occupied ourselves with it earlier.
  3. I would have occupied myself if I had known what to do.

Table of the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of en occuper

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais occupé Si j’avais le temps, je t’en aurais occupé. If I had the time, I would have taken care of it for you.
tu aurais occupé Tu aurais occupé le poste. You would have taken the position.
il aurait occupé Il aurait occupé la chambre d’amis. He would have occupied the guest room.
elle aurait occupé Elle aurait occupé son temps libre. She would have filled her free time.
on aurait occupé On aurait occupé toutes les places. We would have taken up all the seats.
nous aurions occupé Nous aurions occupé la salle de classe. We would have occupied the classroom.
vous auriez occupé Vous auriez occupé le poste ensemble. You would have shared the position.
ils auraient occupé Ils auraient occupé des postes différents. They would have taken different positions.
elles auraient occupé Elles auraient occupé la salle de sport. They (female) would have occupied the gym.

Other Conjugations for En Occuper.

    

    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb en occuper
     

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en occuper
     

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en occuper
     

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

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en occuper
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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En Occuper – 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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