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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb engrener

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The English translation of the French verb engrener is “to mesh.” It is pronounced as “ahn-greh-nay.”

The language origin of engrener can be traced back to the Latin word “ingranare,” meaning “to put into gear.” It entered the French language in the 16th century and has since been used to describe the act of fitting together two or more things, like gears in a machine.

In every day French, engrener is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express an action that would have happened in the past if a certain condition had been met.

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

  1. Si j’avais acheté les bons outils, j’aurais pu engrener les pièces du moteur correctement. (If I had bought the right tools, I could have meshed the engine parts properly.)

  2. Nous aurions pu éviter cette panne si nous avions engrené les roues avant de partir. (We could have avoided this breakdown if we had meshed the front wheels before leaving.)

  3. Si vous aviez pris le temps de comprendre comment engrener les rouages, vous n’auriez pas endommagé la machine. (If you had taken the time to understand how to mesh the gears, you wouldn’t have damaged the machine.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais engrené Si j’avais su, j’aurais engrené. If I had known, I would have meshed.
tu aurais engrené Tu aurais engrené plus tôt. You would have meshed earlier.
il aurait engrené Il aurait engrené le mécanisme. He would have meshed the mechanism.
elle aurait engrené Elle aurait engrené avec lui. She would have meshed with him.
on aurait engrené On aurait engrené les pièces. One would have meshed the pieces.
nous aurions engrené Nous aurions engrené ensemble. We would have meshed together.
vous auriez engrené Vous auriez engrené le moteur. You would have meshed the engine.
ils auraient engrené Ils auraient engrené le système. They would have meshed the system.
elles auraient engrené Elles auraient engrené en équipe. They (female) would have meshed as a team.

Other Conjugations for Engrener.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb engrener
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Engrener – 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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