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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contingenter

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The English translation of contingenter is “to allocate” or “to apportion.” The infinitive form is pronounced as [kɔ̃.tɛ̃.ʒɑ̃.te].

The word contingenter comes from the French word “contingent,” which means “proportion” or “share.” It is derived from the Latin word “contingere,” meaning “to touch” or “to happen.”

In everyday French, contingenter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a hypothetical or past possibility. This tense is formed by combining the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Conditionnel Présent with the past participle of contingenter, which is “contingenté.”

Here are three simple examples of contingenter in the Conditionnel Passé tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais été là, j’aurais contingenté les ressources de manière plus équitable.
    Translation: If I had been there, I would have allocated the resources more fairly.

  2. Nous aurions contingenté nos dépenses si nous avions su que l’entreprise allait faire faillite.
    Translation: We would have apportioned our expenses if we had known the company was going to go bankrupt.

  3. Tu aurais contingenté le temps pour réaliser ce projet si tu avais été mieux organisé.
    Translation: You would have apportioned time to complete this project if you had been more organized.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais contingenter Si j’avais su, je t’aurais contingenter. I would have contingent upon you.
tu aurais contingenter Tu aurais contingenter plus tôt. You would have contingent earlier.
il aurait contingenter Il aurait contingenter le budget. He would have contingent upon the budget.
elle aurait contingenter Elle aurait contingenter le contrat. She would have contingent upon the contract.
on aurait contingenter On aurait contingenter les dépenses. One would have contingent upon the expenses.
nous aurions contingenter Nous aurions contingenter les ressources. We would have contingent upon the resources.
vous auriez contingenter Vous auriez contingenter avec eux. You would have contingent with them.
ils auraient contingenter Ils auraient contingenter le plan. They would have contingent upon the plan.
elles auraient contingenter Elles auraient contingenter les objectifs. They (female) would have contingent upon the objectives.

Other Conjugations for Contingenter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contingenter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Contingenter – 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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