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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enfiler

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of enfiler. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb enfiler is “to thread” or “to slip on”. It is pronounced as ahn-fee-leh.

Enfiler comes from the Old French word “enfiler”, which means “to thread”. It is most commonly used in its infinitive form in everyday French, but can also be conjugated in different tenses and moods, such as the Conditionnel Passé tense.

The Conditionnel Passé tense is used to express actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel présent tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of enfiler used in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais trouvé mon aiguille, j’aurais pu enfiler le fil. (If I had found my needle, I would have been able to thread the thread.)
  2. Vous auriez dû enfiler votre manteau avant de sortir, il fait froid. (You should have put on your coat before going out, it’s cold.)
  3. Elle se serait enfiler dans sa robe de mariée si elle avait trouvé la fermeture éclair. (She would have slipped into her wedding dress if she had found the zipper.)

In all of these examples, enfiler is used to indicate the action of putting on or slipping into something. It is used in the past tense to express actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais enfilé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais enfilé I would have put you on.
tu aurais enfilé Tu aurais enfilé ta tenue plus tôt. You would have put on your outfit earlier.
il aurait enfilé Il aurait enfilé ses chaussures. He would have put on his shoes.
elle aurait enfilé Elle aurait enfilé sa robe. She would have put on her dress.
on aurait enfilé On aurait enfilé nos manteaux. One would have put on our coats.
nous aurions enfilé Nous aurions enfilé nos gants. We would have put on our gloves.
vous auriez enfilé Vous auriez enfilé vos chaussettes. You would have put on your socks.
ils auraient enfilé Ils auraient enfilé leurs costumes. They would have put on their suits.
elles auraient enfilé Elles auraient enfilé leurs robes. They (female) would have put on their dresses.

Other Conjugations for Enfiler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enfiler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the enfiler Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Enfiler – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb enfiler. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts