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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb engraver

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The English translation of the French verb engraver is “to engrave.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-grah-vay.”

The word “engraver” is derived from the Old French word “engraver” which comes from the Latin word “incavare,” meaning “to carve or cut into.”

In everyday French, the verb engraver is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is equivalent to the English conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to express an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met.

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

  1. Si j’avais eu le temps, j’aurais gravé ton nom sur ce bracelet. (If I had had the time, I would have engraved your name on this bracelet.)

  2. Tu aurais pu graver une dédicace sur le livre que tu m’as offert. (You could have engraved a dedication on the book you gave me.)

  3. Il aurait certainement gravé ses initiales sur ce couteau s’il l’avait acheté. (He would have surely engraved his initials on this knife if he had bought it.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais gravé Si j’avais eu le temps, je t’aurais gravé un cadeau. I would have engraved a gift for you if I had had the time.
tu aurais gravé Tu aurais gravé ton nom sur le banc. You would have engraved your name on the bench.
il aurait gravé Il aurait gravé son nom sur la pierre. He would have engraved his name on the stone.
elle aurait gravé Elle aurait gravé une inscription sur le mur. She would have engraved an inscription on the wall.
on aurait gravé On aurait gravé nos initiales sur l’arbre. We would have engraved our initials on the tree.
nous aurions gravé Nous aurions gravé une phrase sur la bague. We would have engraved a sentence on the ring.
vous auriez gravé Vous auriez gravé un dessin sur le verre. You would have engraved a drawing on the glass.
ils auraient gravé Ils auraient gravé un symbole sur la pierre tombale. They would have engraved a symbol on the tombstone.
elles auraient gravé Elles auraient gravé leur nom sur le bracelet. They (female) would have engraved their name on the bracelet.

Other Conjugations for Engraver.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb engraver
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Engraver – 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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