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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ensemencer

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of ensemencer. 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 ensemencer is “to sow” or “to seed”. The infinitive form, ensemencer, is pronounced as “ahn-sem-ahn-say”.

Ensemencer comes from the Latin word “seminare” meaning “to sow” or “to plant”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the past conditional tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action or event that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of ensemencer in the Conditionnel Passé tense:

  1. Si j’avais eu des graines, j’aurais ensemencé mon jardin. (If I had had seeds, I would have sown my garden.)
  2. Ils auraient ensemencé le champ s’ils avaient trouvé un tracteur. (They would have seeded the field if they had found a tractor.)
  3. Nous aurions ensemencé toutes les parcelles si le temps avait été favorable. (We would have sown all the plots if the weather had been favorable.)

In each of these examples, the verb ensemencer is conjugated in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a possibility or hypothetical action in the past. The English translations also use the conditional tense to convey the same meaning.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais ensemencé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais ensemencé. I would have sown you.
tu aurais ensemencé Tu aurais ensemencé plus tôt. You would have sown earlier.
il aurait ensemencé Il aurait ensemencé le champ. He would have sown the field.
elle aurait ensemencé Elle aurait ensemencé le jardin. She would have sown the garden.
on aurait ensemencé On aurait ensemencé le parc. One would have sown the park.
nous aurions ensemencé Nous aurions ensemencé ensemble. We would have sown together.
vous auriez ensemencé Vous auriez ensemencé avec eux. You would have sown with them.
ils auraient ensemencé Ils auraient ensemencé les champs. They would have sown the fields.
elles auraient ensemencé Elles auraient ensemencé les jardins. They (female) would have sown the gardens.

Other Conjugations for Ensemencer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ensemencer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required! 

  

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the ensemencer Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Ensemencer – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb ensemencer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts