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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enchevêtrer

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The English translation of the French verb enchevêtrer is “to tangle” or “to intertwine.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-sheh-veht-reh.”

Enchevêtrer comes from the French word “chevêtre,” which means “a kind of wooden framework.” It is derived from the Latin word “capistrum,” which means “a halter or headstall.” In everyday French, enchevêtrer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which corresponds to the English conditional perfect tense.

Three examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si tu avais suivi mes instructions, tu n’aurais pas enchevêtré les fils électriques. (If you had followed my instructions, you would not have tangled the electrical wires.)

  2. J’aurais enchevêtré mes doigts si je n’avais pas enlevé mes bagues. (I would have tangled my fingers if I had not taken off my rings.)

  3. Ils auraient enchevêtré les câbles s’ils n’avaient pas pris soin de les ranger correctement. (They would have tangled the cables if they had not taken care to store them properly.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais enchevêtré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais enchevêtré. I would have tangled you up.
tu aurais enchevêtré Tu aurais enchevêtré tes fils. You would have tangled up your threads.
il aurait enchevêtré Il aurait enchevêtré ses idées. He would have tangled up his thoughts.
elle aurait enchevêtré Elle aurait enchevêtré ses cheveux. She would have tangled up her hair.
on aurait enchevêtré On aurait enchevêtré les fils. One would have tangled up the threads.
nous aurions enchevêtré Nous aurions enchevêtré nos vies. We would have tangled up our lives.
vous auriez enchevêtré Vous auriez enchevêtré vos problèmes. You would have tangled up your problems.
ils auraient enchevêtré Ils auraient enchevêtré leurs affaires. They would have tangled up their things.
elles auraient enchevêtré Elles auraient enchevêtré leurs histoires. They (females) would have tangled up their stories.

Other Conjugations for Enchevêtrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enchevêtrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Enchevêtrer – 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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