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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb essouffler

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The English translation of the French verb essouffler is “to exhaust” or “to tire out.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “eh-soo-flay.”

Essouffler comes from the Old French word “essouffler,” which means “to lose one’s breath” or “to become out of breath.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or speculative action that would have taken place in the past.

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

  1. Si j’avais couru un marathon, je me serais essoufflé. (If I had run a marathon, I would have become exhausted.)

  2. Ils auraient été moins fatigués s’ils ne s’étaient pas essoufflés en montant les escaliers. (They would have been less tired if they hadn’t exhausted themselves climbing the stairs.)

  3. Tu aurais pu gagner la course si tu ne t’étais pas essoufflé au début. (You could have won the race if you hadn’t tired yourself out at the beginning.)

English translations:

  1. If I had run a marathon, I would have become exhausted.
  2. They would have been less tired if they hadn’t exhausted themselves climbing the stairs.
  3. You could have won the race if you hadn’t tired yourself out at the beginning.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais essoufflé Si j’avais couru, j’aurais essoufflé. I would have become out of breath if I had run.
tu aurais essoufflé Tu aurais essoufflé en montant les escaliers. You would have gotten out of breath while climbing the stairs.
il aurait essoufflé Il aurait essoufflé en faisant du jogging. He would have become out of breath while jogging.
elle aurait essoufflé Elle aurait essoufflé en dansant. She would have gotten out of breath while dancing.
on aurait essoufflé On aurait essoufflé après cette marche. One would have become out of breath after that walk.
nous aurions essoufflé Nous aurions essoufflé en courant. We would have gotten out of breath while running.
vous auriez essoufflé Vous auriez essoufflé en jouant au football. You would have gotten out of breath while playing soccer.
ils auraient essoufflé Ils auraient essoufflé en escaladant la montagne. They would have become out of breath while climbing the mountain.
elles auraient essoufflé Elles auraient essoufflé en nageant. They (female) would have gotten out of breath while swimming.

Other Conjugations for Essouffler.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb essouffler
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Essouffler – 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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