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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contrebalancer

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The English translation of the French verb contrebalancer is “to counterbalance.” It comes from the prefix contre-, meaning “against,” and the verb balancer, meaning “to balance.” The infinitive form, contrebalancer, is pronounced “kohn-truh-bah-lahn-say.”

The language origin of contrebalancer dates back to Old French, and it is a regular -er verb in the present tense. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical past action or event.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais écouté ton conseil, j’aurais pu contrebalancer les risques. (If I had listened to your advice, I could have counterbalanced the risks.)
  2. Nous aurions dû prendre des précautions pour contrebalancer l’influence de ces entreprises. (We should have taken precautions to counterbalance the influence of these companies.)
  3. Tu aurais pu choisir un autre sujet pour ton article pour contrebalancer le point de vue dominant. (You could have chosen a different topic for your article to counterbalance the dominant perspective.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais contrebalancé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais contrebalancé. I would have counterbalanced you.
tu aurais contrebalancé Tu aurais contrebalancé cette nouvelle. You would have counterbalanced that news.
il aurait contrebalancé Il aurait contrebalancé une solution. He would have counterbalanced a solution.
elle aurait contrebalancé Elle aurait contrebalancé ses sentiments. She would have counterbalanced her feelings.
on aurait contrebalancé On aurait contrebalancé la situation. One would have counterbalanced the situation.
nous aurions contrebalancé Nous aurions contrebalancé nos arguments. We would have counterbalanced our arguments.
vous auriez contrebalancé Vous auriez contrebalancé les problèmes. You would have counterbalanced the problems.
ils auraient contrebalancé Ils auraient contrebalancé leurs actions. They would have counterbalanced their actions.
elles auraient contrebalancé Elles auraient contrebalancé leurs actions. They (female) would have counterbalanced their actions.

Other Conjugations for Contrebalancer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrebalancer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Contrebalancer – 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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