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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contrebuter

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The English translation of the French verb contrebuter is “to back up” or “to reinforce.” It is pronounced as “kon-truh-byoo-tey.”

The word contrebuter comes from the combination of the prefix contre- meaning “against” and the verb buter meaning “to push.” The verb is formed by adding the suffix -er to the word contrebut, which is a noun that means “reinforcement.”

In everyday French, contrebuter is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which corresponds to the English conditional perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three simple examples of contrebuter used in the Conditionnel Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Si tu avais contrebuté cette étagère, elle ne se serait pas effondrée. (If you had reinforced this shelf, it wouldn’t have collapsed.)
  2. Nous aurions dû contrebuter nos arguments avec des preuves solides. (We should have backed up our arguments with solid evidence.)
  3. Les ingénieurs auraient contrebuté les murs de la maison pour les rendre plus résistants aux tremblements de terre. (The engineers would have reinforced the walls of the house to make them more earthquake-resistant.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais contribué Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais contribué à la campagne. If I had had more time, I would have contributed to the campaign.
tu aurais contribué Tu aurais contribué si tu avais su. You would have contributed if you had known.
il aurait contribué Il aurait contribué à la réalisation du projet. He would have contributed to the project’s realization.
elle aurait contribué Elle aurait contribué à l’événement. She would have contributed to the event.
on aurait contribué On aurait contribué à la réunion. One would have contributed to the meeting.
nous aurions contribué Nous aurions contribué à la recherche. We would have contributed to the research.
vous auriez contribué Vous auriez contribué à l’organisation. You would have contributed to the organization.
ils auraient contribué Ils auraient contribué à la collecte de fonds. They would have contributed to the fundraising.
elles auraient contribué Elles auraient contribué aux efforts. They (female) would have contributed to the efforts.

Other Conjugations for Contrebuter.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrebuter
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Contrebuter – 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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