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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enliser

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of enliser. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb enliser is “to get bogged down” or “to become mired”. It is pronounced as “ahn-lee-zay” in the infinitive form.

The origin of the word enliser comes from the prefix “en-“, meaning “in” or “into”, and the word “lise” which means “mud” or “slime”. It is most often used in every day French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the conditional perfect tense.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si nous n’avions pas pris cette route, nous ne nous serions pas enlisés dans la boue. (If we hadn’t taken this road, we wouldn’t have gotten bogged down in the mud.)
  2. J’aurais dû m’écouter et ne pas m’enliser dans cette situation difficile. (I should have listened to myself and not become mired in this difficult situation.)
  3. Ils se seraient enlisés dans les négociations si nous n’étions pas intervenus. (They would have gotten bogged down in negotiations if we hadn’t intervened.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me serais enlisé Si j’avais continué, je me serais enlisé. If I had continued, I would have been stuck.
tu te serais enlisé Tu te serais enlisé dans la boue. You would have gotten stuck in the mud.
il se serait enlisé Il se serait enlisé dans la neige. He would have gotten stuck in the snow.
elle se serait enlisée Elle se serait enlisée dans les problèmes. She would have gotten stuck in the problems.
on se serait enlisé On se serait enlisé dans les discussions. One would have gotten stuck in the discussions.
nous nous serions enlisés Nous nous serions enlisés dans le sable. We would have gotten stuck in the sand.
vous vous seriez enlisés Vous vous seriez enlisés dans le trafic. You would have gotten stuck in traffic.
ils se seraient enlisés Ils se seraient enlisés dans la boue. They would have gotten stuck in the mud.
elles se seraient enlisées Elles se seraient enlisées dans les problèmes. They (female) would have gotten stuck in the problems.

Other Conjugations for Enliser.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enliser
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Enliser – 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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