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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb encombrer

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The English translation of the French verb encombrer is “to clutter” or “to congest.” It is pronounced as ahn-kohm-bray.

Encombrer has Latin roots, coming from the word “incombrare” which means “to obstruct.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe a situation or space that is cluttered or congested.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, encombrer is used to talk about a hypothetical or possible past action. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of encombrer.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si j’avais suivi tes conseils, je n’aurais pas encombré ma valise. (If I had followed your advice, I would not have cluttered my suitcase.)

  2. Nous aurions encombré la route si nous avions décidé de partir en voiture. (We would have congested the road if we had decided to leave by car.)

  3. Elle se serait encombrée de trop de bagages si elle était partie en voyage seule. (She would have cluttered herself with too much luggage if she had gone on the trip alone.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais encombré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais encombré. I would have cluttered you.
tu aurais encombré Tu aurais encombré plus tôt. You would have cluttered earlier.
il aurait encombré Il aurait encombré la rue. He would have obstructed the street.
elle aurait encombré Elle aurait encombré sa chambre. She would have cluttered her room.
on aurait encombré On aurait encombré la cuisine. One would have cluttered the kitchen.
nous aurions encombré Nous aurions encombré le salon. We would have cluttered the living room.
vous auriez encombré Vous auriez encombré le bureau. You would have cluttered the office.
ils auraient encombré Ils auraient encombré la rue. They would have obstructed the street.
elles auraient encombré Elles auraient encombré la maison. They (female) would have cluttered the house.

Other Conjugations for Encombrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encombrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Encombrer – 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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