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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb esquinter

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The English translation of the French verb esquinter is “to damage” or “to ruin.” The infinitive form is pronounced “eskɛ̃te.”

The word esquinter comes from the Old French word “esquinter,” which meant “to tire out.” It can be traced back to the Latin word “exquies,” meaning “rest.” In modern French, esquinter is most often used in reference to physical or material damage, but it can also be used figuratively to describe emotional or mental damage.

In the Conditionnel Passé tense, esquinter is conjugated with the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle esquinté to express a hypothetical past action or event. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Si j’avais pris soin de ma voiture, je ne l’aurais pas esquintée. (If I had taken care of my car, I wouldn’t have damaged it.)
  2. Il aurait mieux valu ne pas esquinter la salle avant le concert. (It would have been better not to have ruined the room before the concert.)
  3. Si tu avais mangé moins de bonbons, tu n’aurais pas esquinté ton régime. (If you had eaten fewer sweets, you wouldn’t have ruined your diet.)

The infinitive form of the verb, esquinter, can also be used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical action or event, for example: Si nous avions écouté ses conseils, nous n’aurions pas esquinté notre relation. (If we had listened to his advice, we wouldn’t have damaged our relationship.)

Overall, esquinter is a versatile verb that is commonly used in everyday French to describe various types of damage.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais esquinté Si j’avais su, je l’aurais esquinté. If I had known, I would have damaged it.
tu aurais esquinté Tu aurais esquinté ce vase. You would have broken this vase.
il aurait esquinté Il aurait esquinté sa voiture. He would have damaged his car.
elle aurait esquinté Elle aurait esquinté ses chaussures. She would have ruined her shoes.
on aurait esquinté On aurait esquinté la porte. One would have damaged the door.
nous aurions esquinté Nous aurions esquinté la table. We would have damaged the table.
vous auriez esquinté Vous auriez esquinté les fleurs. You would have ruined the flowers.
ils auraient esquinté Ils auraient esquinté le miroir. They would have damaged the mirror.
elles auraient esquinté Elles auraient esquinté la voiture. They (female) would have damaged the car.

Other Conjugations for Esquinter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb esquinter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Esquinter – 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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