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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb entrebâiller

Get the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) tense conjugation of entrebâiller. 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 entrebâiller is “to half-open”. It is pronounced as “ahn-truh-bah-yay”.

Entrebâiller comes from the combination of the prefix “entre-” meaning “between” or “partially” and the verb “bâiller” meaning “to open”. In everyday French, it is most often used in the conditional past tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past. This tense is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the conditional present tense and adding the past participle of the verb.

Examples of entrebâiller in the conditional past tense:

1) Si j’avais su que tu étais malade, je t’aurais entrebâillé la porte pour te donner tes médicaments. (If I had known you were sick, I would have half-opened the door to give you your medicine.)

2) Ils seraient entrés si la porte s’était entrebâillée plus facilement. (They would have entered if the door had half-opened more easily.)

3) J’aurais entrebâillé la fenêtre si j’avais eu trop chaud. (I would have half-opened the window if I had been too hot.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais entrebâillé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais entrebâillé la porte. I would have cracked the door open for you.
tu aurais entrebâillé Tu aurais entrebâillé la fenêtre pour aérer la pièce. You would have opened the window to let some air in.
il aurait entrebâillé Il aurait entrebâillé la porte pour regarder à l’intérieur. He would have slightly opened the door to look inside.
elle aurait entrebâillé Elle aurait entrebâillé les volets pour laisser entrer la lumière. She would have cracked the shutters to let in the light.
on aurait entrebâillé On aurait entrebâillé la porte pour checker si quelqu’un était là. One would have opened the door slightly to check if someone was there.
nous aurions entrebâillé Nous aurions entrebâillé la porte pour voir ce qui se passait. We would have opened the door a bit to see what was happening.
vous auriez entrebâillé Vous auriez entrebâillé la fenêtre pour entendre la musique. You would have cracked the window to hear the music.
ils auraient entrebâillé Ils auraient entrebâillé la porte pour laisser passer un peu d’air. They would have opened the door a bit to let some air in.
elles auraient entrebâillé Elles auraient entrebâillé les rideaux pour regarder dehors. They (female) would have pulled back the curtains to look outside.

Other Conjugations for Entrebâiller.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb entrebâiller
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


    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 entrebâiller Conditionnel Passé tense conjugation!

Entrebâiller – 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 entrebâiller. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts