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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb engoncer

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The English translation of the French verb engoncer is “to squeeze/tighten.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-gon-say.”

The word engoncer comes from the Old French word “engoncier,” which means “to press/tighten.” It is derived from the Latin word “constringere,” meaning “to compress.”

In everyday French, the verb engoncer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses an action that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

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

  1. Si j’avais pu, je l’aurais engoncé dans ma valise. (If I had been able to, I would have squeezed/tightened it in my suitcase.)
  2. Nous aurions engoncé toutes nos affaires dans la voiture si elle avait été plus grande. (We would have squeezed/tightened all our things in the car if it had been bigger.)
  3. Il aurait engoncé sa main dans le trou pour récupérer la balle. (He would have squeezed/tightened his hand in the hole to retrieve the ball.)

In all of these examples, engoncer is used to express the idea of squeezing or tightening something. It is often used in a physical sense, but can also be used figuratively to describe a situation where something or someone is being forced or pressured in a tight space.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais engoncé Si je n’avais pas fait de sport, je me serais engoncé. If I hadn’t played sports, I would have gotten out of shape.
tu te serais engoncé Tu te serais engoncé en mangeant trop. You would have gotten bloated from eating too much.
il se serait engoncé Il se serait engoncé dans son costume. He would have felt uncomfortable in his suit.
elle se serait engoncé Elle se serait engoncé avec ses nouvelles chaussures. She would have gotten blisters from her new shoes.
on se serait engoncé On se serait engoncé en restant assis toute la journée. We would have gotten stiff from sitting all day.
nous nous serions engoncés Nous nous serions engoncés dans ce petit appartement. We would have felt cramped in this small apartment.
vous vous seriez engoncé Vous vous seriez engoncé si vous aviez porté ce pull. You would have felt constricted if you had worn that sweater.
ils se seraient engoncés Ils se seraient engoncés dans la foule. They would have gotten lost in the crowd.
elles se seraient engoncées Elles se seraient engoncées dans ces robes. They (female) would have felt uncomfortable in those dresses.

Other Conjugations for Engoncer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb engoncer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Engoncer – 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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