Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contre-attaquer

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The English translation of contre-attaquer is “to counterattack.” The infinitive form of this verb is pronounced “kohn-truh-ah-tah-kay.”

The language origin of contre-attaquer is from the combination of the French words “contre” meaning “against” and “attaquer” meaning “to attack.” It is a compound verb that was first used in the late 19th century during military operations.

In everyday French, contre-attaquer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which is the “conditional perfect” tense in English. This tense is used to express an action that would have taken place in the past if a certain condition had been fulfilled.

Some examples of using contre-attaquer in the Conditionnel Passé tense are:

  1. Si j’avais eu plus de soldats, j’aurais contre-attaqué les ennemis. (If I had had more soldiers, I would have counterattacked the enemies.)
  2. Nous serions probablement en train de célébrer la victoire si nous avions contre-attaqué plus tôt. (We would probably be celebrating victory if we had counterattacked earlier.)
  3. Si tu avais suivi mon conseil, tu n’aurais pas eu besoin de contre-attaquer. (If you had followed my advice, you wouldn’t have needed to counterattack.)

Overall, contre-attaquer is most commonly used in military contexts to describe a defensive action taken against an attack. However, it can also be used in a figurative sense to describe any type of retaliatory action.

Table of the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of contre-attaquer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais contre-attaqué Si j’avais su, je t’aurais parlé. I would have counterattacked.
tu aurais contre-attaqué Tu aurais contre-attaqué plus tôt. You would have counterattacked earlier.
il aurait contre-attaqué Il aurait contre-attaqué l’ennemi. He would have counterattacked the enemy.
elle aurait contre-attaqué Elle aurait contre-attaqué avec courage. She would have counterattacked with courage.
on aurait contre-attaqué On aurait contre-attaqué pour défendre notre pays. One would have counterattacked to defend our country.
nous aurions contre-attaqué Nous aurions contre-attaqué ensemble. We would have counterattacked together.
vous auriez contre-attaqué Vous auriez contre-attaqué avec détermination. You would have counterattacked with determination.
ils auraient contre-attaqué Ils auraient contre-attaqué en dernier recours. They would have counterattacked as a last resort.
elles auraient contre-attaqué Elles auraient contre-attaqué avec violence. They (female) would have counterattacked with violence.

Other Conjugations for Contre-Attaquer.

    

    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer
     

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer
     

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer
     

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer
     

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer
     

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer
     

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

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer
     

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer
     

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer  (this article)

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-attaquer


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Contre-Attaquer – 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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