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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contreventer

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The English translation of the French verb contreventer is “to brace or protect against the wind.” The infinitive form, contreventer, is pronounced “kon-truh-vahn-tay.”

The origin of the word contreventer comes from the combination of the prefix “contre,” meaning “against,” and the verb “venter,” meaning “to wind.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical past action.

Examples:

  1. Si je t’avais écouté, je me serais contreventé contre le froid. (If I had listened to you, I would have protected myself against the cold.)
  2. Nous aurions dû contreventer les fenêtres avant la tempête. (We should have braced the windows before the storm.)
  3. Il aurait peut-être mieux valu contreventer les murs pour isoler la maison. (It might have been better to brace the walls to insulate the house.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais contreventé Si j’avais su, j’aurais contreventé. I would have protected from the wind.
tu aurais contreventé Tu aurais contreventé la fenêtre. You would have protected the window.
il aurait contreventé Il aurait contreventé la porte. He would have protected the door.
elle aurait contreventé Elle aurait contreventé la tente. She would have protected the tent.
on aurait contreventé On aurait contreventé la maison. One would have protected the house.
nous aurions contreventé Nous aurions contreventé le jardin. We would have protected the garden.
vous auriez contreventé Vous auriez contreventé votre maison. You would have protected your house.
ils auraient contreventé Ils auraient contreventé leur maison. They would have protected their house.
elles auraient contreventé Elles auraient contreventé leur voiture. They (female) would have protected their car.

Other Conjugations for Contreventer.

    

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contreventer
     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Contreventer – 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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