Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) 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”. It is pronounced as “ahn-too-ray” in its infinitive form.

The language origin of entourer comes from the Old French word “entour”, meaning “surrounding” or “encircling”. It is derived from the Latin word “intornare”, which is composed of the prefix “in” (meaning “in” or “around”) and the verb “tornare” (meaning “to turn”).

In everyday French, entourer is most often used in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which is used to express a hypothetical action or a polite request. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “would” (or “should” for the 1st and 3rd person singular) followed by the infinitive form of the verb.

Example sentences:

  1. Si j’avais plus de temps, je vous entourerais de toute mon affection. (If I had more time, I would surround you with all my affection.)
  2. Nous entourerions notre maison d’un beau jardin si nous avions les moyens. (We would surround our house with a beautiful garden if we had the means.)
  3. Est-ce que vous pourriez m’entourer d’un peu de silence pendant que je travaille ? (Could you surround me with some silence while I work?)

In these examples, entourer is used in the Conditionnel Présent tense to express a polite request (example 3), a hypothetical action (examples 1 and 2), or a desire (examples 1 and 2). Its meaning remains the same as in the infinitive form, but the tense adds a sense of possibility or uncertainty to the action.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je entourerais Je entourerais les fleurs. I would surround the flowers.
tu entourerais Tu entourerais la maison. You would surround the house.
il entourerait Il entourerait la ville. He would surround the city.
elle entourerait Elle entourerait l’arbre. She would surround the tree.
on entourerait On entourerait le lac. One would surround the lake.
nous entourerions Nous entourerions le parc. We would surround the park.
vous entoureriez Vous entoureriez le monument. You would surround the monument.
ils entoureraient Ils entoureraient la voiture. They would surround the car.
elles entoureraient Elles entoureraient la table. They would surround the table.

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 (this article)

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Entourer – 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.

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