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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enceinter

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The English translation of the French verb enceinter is “to enclose” or “to surround.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “awn-sawn-teer.”

The word enceinter comes from the Latin word “cingere,” meaning “to surround” or “to encircle.” It entered the French language in the 13th century and was originally used to refer to the act of building a wall or fortification around a city or castle. Over time, it evolved to also mean “to surround” or “to enclose” in a more general sense.

In everyday French, enceinter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which translates to the English “would have enclosed” or “would have surrounded.” This tense is used to express a hypothetical or imagined action that did not actually happen in the past.

Here are three examples of enceinter in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais enceinté le jardin avec une clôture. (If I had had more time, I would have enclosed the garden with a fence.)

  2. Il aurait enceinté la ville entière s’il en avait eu l’occasion. (He would have surrounded the entire city if he had the chance.)

  3. Nous aurions enceinté notre maison avec des arbres pour plus d’intimité. (We would have enclosed our house with trees for more privacy.)

In these examples, the verb enceinter is used to express a hypothetical or imagined action that did not actually happen. It also emphasizes the idea of surrounding or enclosing something.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais enceinté Si j’avais su, je t’aurais enceinté. I would have impregnated you.
tu aurais enceinté Tu aurais enceinté plus tôt. You would have impregnated earlier.
il aurait enceinté Il aurait enceinté sa femme. He would have impregnated his wife.
elle aurait enceinté Elle aurait enceinté son mari. She would have impregnated her husband.
on aurait enceinté On aurait enceinté toute la ville. One would have impregnated the whole town.
nous aurions enceinté Nous aurions enceinté en voyage. We would have impregnated on the trip.
vous auriez enceinté Vous auriez enceinté avec elle. You would have impregnated with her.
ils auraient enceinté Ils auraient enceinté leurs copines. They would have impregnated their girlfriends.
elles auraient enceinté Elles auraient enceinté leurs copains. They (female) would have impregnated their boyfriends.

Other Conjugations for Enceinter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enceinter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Enceinter – 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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