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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb engerber

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The English translation of the French verb engerber is “to muddle up” or “to mess up.” It is pronounced as “an-jer-bay.”

The word engerber comes from the French word “gerbe,” which means “pile” or “bundle.” It is a derivative of the verb “gerber,” which means “to pile up” or “to bundle.”

In everyday French, engerber is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have taken place in the past.

Here are three examples of engerber used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais pris le temps de tout ranger, je n’aurais pas engerbé mes affaires. (If I had taken the time to tidy up, I wouldn’t have messed up my things.)
  2. Nous aurions évité cet accident si le conducteur n’avait pas engerbé sa voiture. (We would have avoided this accident if the driver hadn’t messed up his car.)
  3. Elle aurait pu réussir si elle n’avait pas engerbé son discours. (She could have succeeded if she hadn’t muddled up her speech.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais engerbé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais engerbé. I would have engarbed you.
tu aurais engerbé Tu aurais engerbé plus tôt. You would have engarbed earlier.
il aurait engerbé Il aurait engerbé son fils. He would have engarbed his son.
elle aurait engerbé Elle aurait engerbé sa fille. She would have engarbed her daughter.
on aurait engerbé On aurait engerbé nos valises. One would have engarbed our suitcases.
nous aurions engerbé Nous aurions engerbé en secret. We would have engarbed in secret.
vous auriez engerbé Vous auriez engerbé avec vos amis. You would have engarbed with your friends.
ils auraient engerbé Ils auraient engerbé leurs ennemis. They would have engarbed their enemies.
elles auraient engerbé Elles auraient engerbé leur chien. They (female) would have engarbed their dog.

Other Conjugations for Engerber.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb engerber
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Engerber – 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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