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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb engager

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The English translation of the French verb engager is “to engage” or “to commit.” The infinitive form, engager, is pronounced “ahn-gah-zhay.”

Engager comes from the Old French word “engagier,” which means “to pledge” or “to promise.” It has the same origin as the English word “engage” and is derived from the Latin word “ingaggiare,” meaning “to hire.”

In everyday French, engager is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action in the past. This tense is formed with the conditional form of the auxiliary verb avoir or être and the past participle of the main verb.

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

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais pu m’engager dans cette association. (If I had had more time, I could have committed myself to this organization.)

  2. Il aurait dû s’engager dans l’armée, mais il a choisi une carrière différente. (He should have enlisted in the army, but he chose a different career.)

  3. Si elle avait accepté l’offre d’emploi, elle se serait engagée dans une nouvelle voie professionnelle. (If she had accepted the job offer, she would have committed herself to a new career path.)

English translations:

  1. If I had had more time, I could have committed myself to this organization.

  2. He should have enlisted in the army, but he chose a different career.

  3. If she had accepted the job offer, she would have committed herself to a new career path.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais engagé J’aurais engagé un nouvel employé. I would have hired a new employee.
tu aurais engagé Tu aurais engagé plus de personnes. You would have hired more people.
il aurait engagé Il aurait engagé un avocat. He would have hired a lawyer.
elle aurait engagé Elle aurait engagé un designer. She would have hired a designer.
on aurait engagé On aurait engagé un consultant. One would have hired a consultant.
nous aurions engagé Nous aurions engagé une femme. We would have hired a woman.
vous auriez engagé Vous auriez engagé une équipe. You would have hired a team.
ils auraient engagé Ils auraient engagé un cuisinier. They would have hired a cook.
elles auraient engagé Elles auraient engagé un groupe. They (female) would have hired a group.

Other Conjugations for Engager.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb engager
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Engager – 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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