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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contracter

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The English translation of the French verb contracter is “to contract.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “kohn-track-tay.”

The word contracter comes from the Latin word “contractus,” meaning “to draw together.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or future action that is dependent on a certain condition being met.

Here are three simple examples of contracter in the Conditionnel Présent tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Si je gagnais à la loterie, je contracterais une dette énorme. (If I won the lottery, I would contract a huge debt.)

  2. Nous contracterions un prêt pour acheter une maison plus grande. (We would take out a loan to buy a bigger house.)

  3. Tu contracterais une maladie si tu ne prenais pas soin de toi. (You would contract an illness if you didn’t take care of yourself.)

Table of the Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of contracter

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je contracterais Je contracterais si j’avais le temps. I would contract if I had the time.
tu contracterais Tu contracterais si tu étais plus prudent. You would contract if you were more careful.
il contracterait Il contracterait un prêt pour acheter une maison. He would take out a loan to buy a house.
elle contracterait Elle contracterait une maladie en voyageant. She would contract an illness while traveling.
on contracterait On contracterait un partenariat avec une entreprise. One would enter into a partnership with a company.
nous contracterions Nous contracterions une assurance pour notre voiture. We would take out insurance for our car.
vous contracteriez Vous contracteriez un contrat à long terme. You would enter into a long-term contract.
ils contracteraient Ils contracteraient une maladie en mangeant de la viande crue. They would contract an illness by eating raw meat.
elles contracteraient Elles contracteraient une dette importante. They would incur a significant debt.

Other Conjugations for Contracter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracter (this article)

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Contracter – About the French Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Présent” tense, often called the present conditional tense in English, is used to express actions or events that are considered hypothetical, possible, or uncertain in the present or future. It’s the equivalent of “would” or “could” in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Conditionnel Présent tense for regular verbs, you take the infinitive form of the verb and add the appropriate endings. For example, using the verb “parler” (to speak): 

Je parlerais (I would speak) 
Tu parlerais (You would speak)
Il/elle/on parlerait (He/she/one would speak)
Nous parlerions (We would speak) 
Vous parleriez (You would speak)
Ils/elles parleraient (They would speak) 

Note – For irregular verbs, the stem might change, so you need to memorize the conjugation.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Polite Requests

The Conditionnel Présent is often used to make polite requests or suggestions. Instead of using the imperative, which can be more direct, the conditional is softer and more courteous. For example: “Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît” (I would like a coffee, please). 

Expressing Hypothetical Situations

It’s used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations. For instance, “Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une nouvelle voiture” (If I had money, I would buy a new car). 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

The conditional can convey doubt or uncertainty about something in the present or future. “Il serait peut-être en retard” (He might be late).

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Tense

The Conditionnel Présent is often used with the present tense to express hypothetical or conditional statements. For example, “Si tu viens demain, nous irons au cinéma” (If you come tomorrow, we will go to the movies). 

Past Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can also be used with past tenses like the imparfait to indicate a past hypothetical action. For instance, “J’aurais aimé être là hier” (I would have liked to be there yesterday). 

Future Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can be combined with the future tense to indicate future actions that are dependent on certain conditions. For example, “Il viendrait si tu l’invitais” (He would come if you invited him).
 

Conditional Perfect

If you want to express a hypothetical action in the past that didn’t happen, you can use the Conditionnel Présent with the past participle to form the conditional perfect. For example, “Il aurait fini son travail s’il n’était pas tombé malade” (He would have finished his work if he hadn’t gotten sick).

Summary

The Conditionnel Présent is a versatile tense in French, allowing speakers to discuss possibilities, hypothetical scenarios, and make polite requests. It’s essential to understand its usage patterns and how it interacts with other tenses to communicate effectively in various situations.

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