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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enrouiller

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The English translation of the French verb enrouiller is “to lock up” or “to seize up.”

Pronunciation: ahn-roo-yay

Enrouiller comes from the Old French word “enrouer” which means “to become hoarse” or “to lose one’s voice.” Over time, the meaning evolved to refer to something becoming stiff or tight, which is how it is commonly used in French today.

In everyday French, enrouiller is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent tense followed by the past participle of enrouiller.

Example 1: Si tu n’avais pas forcé la porte, elle ne se serait pas enrouillée.
Translation: If you hadn’t forced the door, it wouldn’t have locked up.

Example 2: Il aurait dû faire des exercices pour ne pas s’enrouiller après le match.
Translation: He should have done exercises to avoid getting stiff after the game.

Example 3: Nous serions arrivés plus tôt si le moteur de la voiture ne s’était pas enrouillé.
Translation: We would have arrived earlier if the car engine hadn’t seized up.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais enrouillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais enrouillé. I would have irritated you.
tu aurais enrouillé Tu aurais enrouillé tout le monde. You would have annoyed everyone.
il aurait enrouillé Il aurait enrouillé le projet. He would have messed up the project.
elle aurait enrouillé Elle aurait enrouillé les plans. She would have ruined the plans.
on aurait enrouillé On aurait enrouillé toute la soirée. One would have ruined the whole evening.
nous aurions enrouillé Nous aurions enrouillé leur journée. We would have ruined their day.
vous auriez enrouillé Vous auriez enrouillé la réunion. You would have disrupted the meeting.
ils auraient enrouillé Ils auraient enrouillé l’ambiance. They would have killed the mood.
elles auraient enrouillé Elles auraient enrouillé leur voyage. They (female) would have ruined their trip.

Other Conjugations for Enrouiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enrouiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Enrouiller – 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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