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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ennuyer

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The English translation of the French verb ennuyer is “to bore” or “to annoy.” The infinitive form, ennuyer, is pronounced as “ahn-wee-yay.”

Ennuyer is derived from the Middle French word enuier, meaning “to annoy” or “to trouble.” It is also related to the Old French word enoi, meaning “annoyance” or “boredom.”

In everyday French, ennuyer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal past action. This tense is formed with the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle of ennuyer (ennuyé).

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

  1. Si j’avais su que ça allait t’ennuyer, je ne t’aurais pas emmené avec moi. (If I had known it would bore you, I wouldn’t have taken you with me.)
  2. Je me serais ennuyé à mourir si je n’avais pas rencontré ces gens-là. (I would have been bored to death if I hadn’t met these people.)
  3. Nous aurions été ennuyés si la réunion avait duré plus longtemps. (We would have been annoyed if the meeting had lasted longer.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais ennuyé J’aurais ennuyé mes parents avec mes problèmes. I would have bored my parents with my problems.
tu aurais ennuyé Tu aurais ennuyé tout le monde avec ton attitude. You would have annoyed everyone with your attitude.
il aurait ennuyé Il aurait ennuyé sa petite amie avec ses blagues. He would have annoyed his girlfriend with his jokes.
elle aurait ennuyé Elle aurait ennuyé ses collègues avec ses gémissements. She would have bothered her colleagues with her moaning.
on aurait ennuyé On aurait ennuyé les voisins avec notre musique. We would have annoyed the neighbors with our music.
nous aurions ennuyé Nous aurions ennuyé nos professeurs avec nos questions. We would have bored our teachers with our questions.
vous auriez ennuyé Vous auriez ennuyé le voisin avec votre tondeuse bruyante. You would have bothered the neighbor with your loud lawnmower.
ils auraient ennuyé Ils auraient ennuyé leur chat avec leurs caresses. They would have bored their cat with their petting.
elles auraient ennuyé Elles auraient ennuyé leur famille avec leurs histoires. They (female) would have annoyed their family with their stories.

Other Conjugations for Ennuyer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ennuyer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Ennuyer – 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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