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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contrecarrer

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The English translation of the French verb contrecarrer is “to thwart” or “to counteract.” The infinitive form is pronounced “kon-truh-kar-reh.”

The word contrecarrer comes from the Old French word “contrecurir,” which is derived from the Latin words “contra” meaning “against” and “currere” meaning “to run.” In everyday French, the verb contrecarrer is most often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses actions that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

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

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais contrecarré leurs plans. (If I had known, I would have thwarted their plans.)

  2. Elle aurait pu gagner le match si elle n’avait pas été contrecarrée par une blessure. (She could have won the game if she hadn’t been hindered by an injury.)

  3. Nous aurions pu éviter cette crise si nous avions mieux contrecarré les actions de nos concurrents. (We could have avoided this crisis if we had countered our competitors’ actions more effectively.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais contrecarré Si j’avais su, je t’aurais contrecarré. I would have countered you.
tu aurais contrecarré Tu aurais contrecarré ses plans. You would have thwarted his plans.
il aurait contrecarré Il aurait contrecarré nos efforts. He would have counteracted our efforts.
elle aurait contrecarré Elle aurait contrecarré la décision. She would have countered the decision.
on aurait contrecarré On aurait contrecarré ses intentions. One would have thwarted his intentions.
nous aurions contrecarré Nous aurions contrecarré leur projet. We would have countered their project.
vous auriez contrecarré Vous auriez contrecarré le système. You would have thwarted the system.
ils auraient contrecarré Ils auraient contrecarré leurs ennemis. They would have countered their enemies.
elles auraient contrecarré Elles auraient contrecarré leur avancée. They (female) would have thwarted their progress.

Other Conjugations for Contrecarrer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Contrecarrer – 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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