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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb entourer

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The English translation of the French verb entourer is “to surround” or “to encircle.” The infinitive form of entourer is pronounced as “ahn-too-reh” with the emphasis on the second syllable.

The word entourer is derived from the Old French word “entoure,” which means “surrounding” or “encirclement.” It is also related to the Latin word “intorquere,” which means “to twist around.” In everyday French, entourer is a commonly used verb, often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past.

Three simple examples of entourer in the Conditionnel Passé tense could be:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais entouré la ville pour la visiter. (If I had had more time, I would have surrounded the city to visit it.)
  2. Nous aurions entouré le gâteau de bougies pour fêter ton anniversaire. (We would have surrounded the cake with candles to celebrate your birthday.)
  3. Tu aurais entouré ta maison d’une clôture pour empêcher les chiens de rentrer. (You would have surrounded your house with a fence to prevent the dogs from getting in.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais entouré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais entouré. I would have surrounded you.
tu aurais entouré Tu aurais entouré la maison. You would have surrounded the house.
il aurait entouré Il aurait entouré le parc. He would have surrounded the park.
elle aurait entouré Elle aurait entouré ses affaires. She would have surrounded her belongings.
on aurait entouré On aurait entouré le quartier. One would have surrounded the neighborhood.
nous aurions entouré Nous aurions entouré le lac. We would have surrounded the lake.
vous auriez entouré Vous auriez entouré le paysage. You would have surrounded the landscape.
ils auraient entouré Ils auraient entouré la ville. They would have surrounded the city.
elles auraient entouré Elles auraient entouré les montagnes. They (female) would have surrounded the mountains.

Other Conjugations for Entourer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb entourer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Entourer – 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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