Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) 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.” It is pronounced as “kohn-truh-kah-reh.”

Contrecarrer comes from the Old French word “contre” meaning “against” and “carre” meaning “square” or “obstacle.” It was originally used in the context of military tactics to describe the act of opposing or blocking an enemy’s movement.

In everyday French, contrecarrer is often used in the Conditionnel Présent tense to express a hypothetical or possible action that would counteract or prevent something from happening. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Si tu ralentissais un peu, ça contrecarrerait l’effet de surprise. (If you slowed down a bit, it would thwart the element of surprise.)
  2. Je voudrais bien l’aider, mais je crains que cela ne contrecarre mes propres projets. (I would like to help him, but I fear it would thwart my own plans.)
  3. S’ils avaient écouté mes conseils, ils auraient pu contrecarrer cette crise. (If they had listened to my advice, they could have counteracted this crisis.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je contrecarrerais Je contrecarrerais ses plans. I would counter his plans.
tu contrecarrerais Tu contrecarrerais la décision. You would counter the decision.
il contrecarrerait Il contrecarrerait leur projet. He would counter their project.
elle contrecarrerait Elle contrecarrerait ses objectifs. She would counter her goals.
on contrecarrerait On contrecarrerait le plan. One would counter the plan.
nous contrecarrerions Nous contrecarrerions leur influence. We would counter their influence.
vous contrecarreriez Vous contrecarreriez ses intentions. You would counter his intentions.
ils contrecarreraient Ils contrecarreraient la révolte. They would counter the revolt.
elles contrecarreraient Elles contrecarreraient la grève. They would counter the strike.

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 (this article)

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

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

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

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

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Contrecarrer – 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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