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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enjoncer

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The English translation of the French verb enjoncer is “to encourage” or “to push someone into doing something.” It is pronounced as “ahn-john-seh.”

Enjoncer comes from the Latin word “ingurgitare” which means “to swallow” or “to gorge oneself.” In Old French, it evolved into “engoncier” which meant “to block” or “to wedge.” Eventually, it took on its current meaning of “to encourage” or “to push.”

In everyday French, enjoncer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about events or actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su qu’il avait peur de l’eau, je l’aurais enjoncé à apprendre à nager. (If I had known he was afraid of water, I would have encouraged him to learn how to swim.)
  2. Les parents ont enjoncé leurs enfants à poursuivre leurs études. (The parents encouraged their children to continue their studies.)
  3. Si tu avais pris ton temps pour réfléchir, tu n’aurais pas enjoncé ton ami à prendre cette décision. (If you had taken your time to think, you wouldn’t have pushed your friend into making that decision.)

In these examples, enjoncer is used to indicate that someone was encouraged or pushed to do something, but it did not actually happen. The use of the conditional tense suggests that there was a condition that needed to be met for the action to take place.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais enjoncé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais enjoncé. I would have lifted you up.
tu aurais enjoncé Tu aurais enjoncé plus tôt. You would have lifted earlier.
il aurait enjoncé Il aurait enjoncé la caisse. He would have lifted the box.
elle aurait enjoncé Elle aurait enjoncé son sac. She would have lifted her bag.
on aurait enjoncé On aurait enjoncé la table. One would have lifted the table.
nous aurions enjoncé Nous aurions enjoncé le piano. We would have lifted the piano.
vous auriez enjoncé Vous auriez enjoncé les valises. You would have lifted the suitcases.
ils auraient enjoncé Ils auraient enjoncé les meubles. They would have lifted the furniture.
elles auraient enjoncé Elles auraient enjoncé les caisses. They (female) would have lifted the boxes.

Other Conjugations for Enjoncer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enjoncer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Enjoncer – 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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