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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb encenser

Get the Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) tense conjugation of encenser. 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 encenser is “to praise,” pronounced as ahn-sahn-say.

The word encenser comes from the Latin word “incensare,” which means “to burn incense.” In Old French, it evolved to mean “to cense” or “to honor with incense,” and eventually took on the meaning of praising or honoring in general.

Encenser is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action. It is formed by adding the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, or -aient to the infinitive form.

Three examples of encenser in the Conditionnel Présent tense are:

  1. Si j’avais vu son dernier film, je l’aurais encensé. (If I had seen his latest film, I would have praised it.)
  2. Nous encenserions ses talents si elle acceptait de les montrer. (We would praise her talents if she agreed to show them.)
  3. Ils encenseraient leurs employés s’ils faisaient de gros bénéfices. (They would praise their employees if they made big profits.)

Table of the Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of encenser

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je encenserais Je encenserais le chef pour son travail. I would praise the chef for his work.
tu encenserais Tu encenserais tes parents. You would praise your parents.
il encenserait Il encenserait son idole. He would praise his idol.
elle encenserait Elle encenserait ses amis. She would praise her friends.
on encenserait On encenserait la nouvelle politique. One would praise the new policy.
nous encenserions Nous encenserions le spectacle. We would praise the show.
vous encenseriez Vous encenseriez l’artiste. You would praise the artist.
ils encenseraient Ils encenseraient leurs collègues. They would praise their colleagues.
elles encenseraient Elles encenseraient le film. They would praise the movie.

Other Conjugations for Encenser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encenser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encenser (this article)

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

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

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

    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 encenser Conditionnel Présent tense conjugation!

Encenser – About the French Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Présent” tense, often called the present conditional tense in English, is used to express actions or events that are considered hypothetical, possible, or uncertain in the present or future. It’s the equivalent of “would” or “could” in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Conditionnel Présent tense for regular verbs, you take the infinitive form of the verb and add the appropriate endings. For example, using the verb “parler” (to speak): 

Je parlerais (I would speak) 
Tu parlerais (You would speak)
Il/elle/on parlerait (He/she/one would speak)
Nous parlerions (We would speak) 
Vous parleriez (You would speak)
Ils/elles parleraient (They would speak) 

Note – For irregular verbs, the stem might change, so you need to memorize the conjugation.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Polite Requests

The Conditionnel Présent is often used to make polite requests or suggestions. Instead of using the imperative, which can be more direct, the conditional is softer and more courteous. For example: “Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît” (I would like a coffee, please). 

Expressing Hypothetical Situations

It’s used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations. For instance, “Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une nouvelle voiture” (If I had money, I would buy a new car). 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

The conditional can convey doubt or uncertainty about something in the present or future. “Il serait peut-être en retard” (He might be late).

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Tense

The Conditionnel Présent is often used with the present tense to express hypothetical or conditional statements. For example, “Si tu viens demain, nous irons au cinéma” (If you come tomorrow, we will go to the movies). 

Past Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can also be used with past tenses like the imparfait to indicate a past hypothetical action. For instance, “J’aurais aimé être là hier” (I would have liked to be there yesterday). 

Future Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can be combined with the future tense to indicate future actions that are dependent on certain conditions. For example, “Il viendrait si tu l’invitais” (He would come if you invited him).
 

Conditional Perfect

If you want to express a hypothetical action in the past that didn’t happen, you can use the Conditionnel Présent with the past participle to form the conditional perfect. For example, “Il aurait fini son travail s’il n’était pas tombé malade” (He would have finished his work if he hadn’t gotten sick).

Summary

The Conditionnel Présent is a versatile tense in French, allowing speakers to discuss possibilities, hypothetical scenarios, and make polite requests. It’s essential to understand its usage patterns and how it interacts with other tenses to communicate effectively in various situations.

Want More?

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

Similar Posts