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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contrarier

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The English translation of the French verb contrarier is “to annoy” or “to go against.” In the infinitive form, it is pronounced as “kon-tra-ree-ay.”

Contrarier originates from the Old French word “contrarier,” which comes from the Latin word “contrarius,” meaning “opposite” or “contrary.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is used to express actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met.

Here are three examples of contrarier being used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si je lui avais parlé, je l’aurais contrarié. (If I had talked to him, I would have annoyed him.)

  2. Nous aurions été contrariés si notre train avait été annulé. (We would have been annoyed if our train had been canceled.)

  3. Tu aurais contrarié ta mère si tu étais parti sans lui dire au revoir. (You would have annoyed your mother if you had left without saying goodbye to her.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais contrarié Si j’avais su, je t’aurais contrarié. I would have opposed you.
tu aurais contrarié Tu aurais contrarié tes parents. You would have disobeyed your parents.
il aurait contrarié Il aurait contrarié ses plans. He would have disrupted his plans.
elle aurait contrarié Elle aurait contrarié ses amis. She would have upset her friends.
on aurait contrarié On aurait contrarié le projet. One would have opposed the project.
nous aurions contrarié Nous aurions contrarié les règles. We would have gone against the rules.
vous auriez contrarié Vous auriez contrarié la décision. You would have contradicted the decision.
ils auraient contrarié Ils auraient contrarié leurs plans. They would have gone against their plans.
elles auraient contrarié Elles auraient contrarié leurs parents. They (female) would have disobeyed their parents.

Other Conjugations for Contrarier.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrarier
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Contrarier – 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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