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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ensaboter

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The English translation of the French verb ensaboter is “to sabotage.” It is pronounced as “ahn-sah-boh-tay.”

The word ensaboter comes from the French word sabot, which means “wooden shoe.” The verb ensaboter literally means “to put a sabot on,” but it is commonly used in the figurative sense of “to sabotage.”

In everyday French, ensaboter is often used in the conditionnel passé tense to express a hypothetical or imaginary action that could have taken place in the past. It is formed by using the conditional form of the auxiliary verb avoir or être, followed by the past participle of ensaboter (ensaboté).

Here are three simple examples of ensaboter in the conditionnel passé tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su que tu allais ensaboter mon projet, je ne t’aurais jamais fait confiance.
    (If I had known you were going to sabotage my project, I would never have trusted you.)
  2. Nous aurions peut-être gagné la compétition si l’équipe adverse n’avait pas ensaboté notre stratégie.
    (We might have won the competition if the opposing team had not sabotaged our strategy.)
  3. Tu aurais dû te méfier de lui, il a toujours eu l’intention de t’ensaboter.
    (You should have been wary of him, he always intended to sabotage you.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais ensaboté Si j’avais pu, je t’aurais ensaboté. I would have messed you up if I could.
tu aurais ensaboté Tu aurais ensaboté le système. You would have sabotaged the system.
il aurait ensaboté Il aurait ensaboté l’ordinateur. He would have sabotaged the computer.
elle aurait ensaboté Elle aurait ensaboté son travail. She would have sabotaged her work.
on aurait ensaboté On aurait ensaboté la situation. One would have sabotaged the situation.
nous aurions ensaboté Nous aurions ensaboté l’opération. We would have sabotaged the operation.
vous auriez ensaboté Vous auriez ensaboté le projet. You would have sabotaged the project.
ils auraient ensaboté Ils auraient ensaboté la compétition. They would have sabotaged the competition.
elles auraient ensaboté Elles auraient ensaboté leurs adversaires. They (female) would have sabotaged their opponents.

Other Conjugations for Ensaboter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ensaboter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Ensaboter – 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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