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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enclencher

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The English translation of the French verb enclencher is “to engage” or “to get started.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-klen-shay.”

Enclencher comes from the French prefix en- meaning “in” or “into” and the word clencher meaning “to clench” or “to grip.” It is derived from the Latin word inclinare, meaning “to cause to lean” or “to incite.”

In everyday French, enclencher is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or future event in the past. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb avoir or être followed by the past participle of enclencher. For example:

  1. Si j’avais suivi tes conseils, j’aurais enclenché le projet plus tôt. (If I had followed your advice, I would have started the project earlier.)
  2. Nous aurions enclenché la machine si nous avions eu les instructions. (We would have engaged the machine if we had had the instructions.)
  3. Si vous aviez pris le temps de lire le manuel, vous n’auriez pas enclenché l’alarme. (If you had taken the time to read the manual, you wouldn’t have triggered the alarm.)

In these examples, enclencher is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express hypothetical or unreal situations in the past. The verb is often followed by a direct object, such as a project, a machine, or an alarm.

Overall, enclencher is a common verb used in everyday French to express the idea of starting or engaging something, and it is especially useful in the conditionnel passé tense to talk about hypothetical actions in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais enclenché Si j’avais su, je t’aurais enclenché. I would have engaged you.
tu aurais enclenché Tu aurais enclenché le système. You would have activated the system.
il aurait enclenché Il aurait enclenché le moteur. He would have started the engine.
elle aurait enclenché Elle aurait enclenché le démarrage. She would have initiated the startup.
on aurait enclenché On aurait enclenché le processus. One would have triggered the process.
nous aurions enclenché Nous aurions enclenché le programme. We would have launched the program.
vous auriez enclenché Vous auriez enclenché avec diligence. You would have engaged diligently.
ils auraient enclenché Ils auraient enclenché le mode d’emploi. They would have followed the instructions.
elles auraient enclenché Elles auraient enclenché le mécanisme. They (female) would have engaged the mechanism.

Other Conjugations for Enclencher.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enclencher
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Enclencher – 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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