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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enjamber

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The English translation of the French verb enjamber is “to step over” or “to straddle.” The infinitive form is pronounced as ahn-zham-bay.

Enjamber is derived from the Old French word “enjamber,” which means “to step over” or “to mount.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action that would have taken place in the past.

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

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais enjambé la flaque d’eau. (If I had known, I would have stepped over the puddle.)
  2. Nous aurions enjambé la porte si elle n’avait pas été fermée à clé. (We would have straddled the door if it hadn’t been locked.)
  3. J’aurais enjambé le muret pour rejoindre mon ami de l’autre côté. (I would have climbed over the wall to reach my friend on the other side.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais enjambé Si j’avais eu plus de force, j’aurais enjambé la rivière. If I had had more strength, I would have straddled the river.
tu aurais enjambé Tu aurais enjambé le petit ruisseau. You would have straddled the small stream.
il aurait enjambé Il aurait enjambé la barrière. He would have straddled the fence.
elle aurait enjambé Elle aurait enjambé le fossé. She would have straddled the ditch.
on aurait enjambé On aurait enjambé la rue. One would have straddled the street.
nous aurions enjambé Nous aurions enjambé la montagne. We would have straddled the mountain.
vous auriez enjambé Vous auriez enjambé le trottoir. You would have straddled the sidewalk.
ils auraient enjambé Ils auraient enjambé la rivière. They would have straddled the river.
elles auraient enjambé Elles auraient enjambé la clôture. They (female) would have straddled the fence.

Other Conjugations for Enjamber.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enjamber
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Enjamber – 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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