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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contremander

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The English translation of the French verb contremander is “to countermand” or “to revoke.” It is pronounced “kohn-truh-mahn-dey” in its infinitive form.

The word contremander comes from the French words contre, meaning “against” and mander, meaning “to order” or “to send.” It originated in the 17th century and is most commonly used in military contexts, meaning to cancel or revoke an order.

In everyday French, contremander is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action that would have taken place in the past. It is formed by using the conditional of the auxiliary verb avoir or être, followed by the past participle of contremander.

Here are three examples of how contremander is used in the Conditionnel Passé tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su qu’ils allaient arriver en retard, je les aurais contremandés. (If I had known they were going to arrive late, I would have countermanded them.)

  2. Nous aurions dû contremander la réunion, car il y a eu un accident sur l’autoroute. (We should have revoked the meeting, as there was an accident on the highway.)

  3. Tu aurais pu contremander ta commande si tu avais changé d’avis. (You could have countermanded your order if you had changed your mind.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais contremandé Si j’avais su, j’aurais contremandé la commande. I would have cancelled the order.
tu aurais contremandé Tu aurais contremandé la réunion. You would have cancelled the meeting.
il aurait contremandé Il aurait contremandé le vol. He would have cancelled the flight.
elle aurait contremandé Elle aurait contremandé sa réservation. She would have cancelled her reservation.
on aurait contremandé On aurait contremandé le spectacle. One would have cancelled the show.
nous aurions contremandé Nous aurions contremandé le contrat. We would have cancelled the contract.
vous auriez contremandé Vous auriez contremandé la réservation. You would have cancelled the reservation.
ils auraient contremandé Ils auraient contremandé la réunion. They would have cancelled the meeting.
elles auraient contremandé Elles auraient contremandé leur vol. They (female) would have cancelled their flight.

Other Conjugations for Contremander.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contremander
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Contremander – 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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