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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enrêner

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The English translation of the French verb enrêner is “to rein in” or “to restrain.” It is pronounced as “ahn-ren-eh.”

Enrêner comes from the Old French word “ren,” meaning “rein,” and the suffix “-er,” indicating an action or a verb. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses actions or events that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais enrêné ma colère. (If I had known, I would have reined in my anger.)
  2. Il aurait dû enrêner ses dépenses pour économiser de l’argent. (He should have restrained his expenses to save money.)
  3. Nous aurions dû enrêner notre enthousiasme pour éviter les problèmes. (We should have reined in our enthusiasm to avoid problems.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais enrêné Si j’avais su, je t’aurais enrêné. I would have put a bridle on you.
tu aurais enrêné Tu aurais enrêné ton cheval. You would have put a bridle on your horse.
il aurait enrêné Il aurait enrêné sa jument. He would have put a bridle on his mare.
elle aurait enrêné Elle aurait enrêné sa jument. She would have put a bridle on her mare.
on aurait enrêné On aurait enrêné les chevaux. One would have put a bridle on the horses.
nous aurions enrêné Nous aurions enrêné les bêtes. We would have put a bridle on the animals.
vous auriez enrêné Vous auriez enrêné vos chevaux. You would have put a bridle on your horses.
ils auraient enrêné Ils auraient enrêné leurs chevaux. They would have put a bridle on their horses.
elles auraient enrêné Elles auraient enrêné les poneys. They (female) would have put a bridle on the ponies.

Other Conjugations for Enrêner.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enrêner
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Enrêner – 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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