Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contre-passer

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The English translation of the French verb “contre-passer” is “to counter-pass” or “to pass again.” The infinitive form of “contre-passer” is pronounced as “koh-truh-pa-sey” in French.

The verb “contre-passer” is of French origin and is composed of two parts: “contre” meaning “against” or “opposite” and “passer” meaning “to pass.” It is often used in everyday French in the imparfait tense, which expresses ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

Here are three simple examples of “contre-passer” in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Chaque jour, je contrepassais le même pont pour me rendre au travail.
    (Every day, I used to counter-pass the same bridge to go to work.)

  2. Pendant la réunion, elle contrepassait les chiffres pour vérifier son calcul.
    (During the meeting, she used to counter-pass the numbers to double-check her calculation.)

  3. Nous contrepassions souvent par ce chemin pour éviter le trafic.
    (We often used to counter-pass through this route to avoid the traffic.)

Note: The translations provided are not literal but rather convey the meaning of the sentences in English.

Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of contre-passer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je contre-passais Je contre-passais chaque semaine. I would pass by every week.
tu contre-passais Tu contre-passais devant la maison. You would pass by the house.
il contre-passait Il contre-passait le parc tous les matins. He would pass by the park every morning.
elle contre-passait Elle contre-passait devant l’école. She would pass by the school.
on contre-passait On contre-passait par là. We would pass by there.
nous contre-passions Nous contre-passions devant le magasin. We would pass by the store.
vous contre-passiez Vous contre-passiez à vélo. You would pass by on a bike.
ils contre-passaient Ils contre-passaient par la rivière. They would pass by the river.
elles contre-passaient Elles contre-passaient devant la gare. They would pass by the train station.

Other Conjugations for Contre-Passer.

Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer (You’re reading it right now!)

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

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

Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

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

Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

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Contre-Passer – About the French Imparfait Tense

The French imparfait tense, often called the imperfect tense in English, is used to describe actions or states in the past. It’s primarily used to provide background information, set the scene, or describe habitual or ongoing actions in the past.

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

Formation of the Imparfait Tense

To form the imparfait tense in French, you typically take the present tense nous form of the verb, drop the -ons ending, and add specific endings based on the verb group (regular -er, -ir, -re verbs) or use irregular forms for certain verbs.  

For regular -er verbs:

Take the infinitive form (e.g., parler, finir, rendre) Remove the -er ending Add the imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient 

For regular -ir verbs

Take the infinitive form (e.g., choisir, grandir, finir) Remove the -ir ending Add the imparfait endings: -issais, -issais, -issait, -issions, -issiez, -issaient 

For regular -re verbs

Take the infinitive form (e.g., vendre, attendre, entendre) Remove the -re ending Add the imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Description of Past Habits

The imparfait is often used to describe habitual actions or situations in the past. For example: “Quand j’étais enfant, je jouais au football tous les jours.” (When I was a child, I used to play football every day.) 

Background Information

It’s used to provide background information or set the stage for a main event in the past. For instance: “Il faisait beau ce jour-là.” (The weather was nice that day.) 

Mental and Emotional States

It’s employed to express emotions, thoughts, or physical sensations in the past. For example: “J’étais content quand il est arrivé.” (I was happy when he arrived.) 

Ongoing Actions

The imparfait describes actions that were in progress or happening when something else occurred in the past. For instance: “Je lisais un livre quand le téléphone a sonné.” (I was reading a book when the phone rang.)

Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense

Passé Composé vs. Imparfait

The imparfait and passé composé (a compound past tense) are often used together to express the completion of an action in the past (passé composé) and provide context or background (imparfait). For example: “Il regardait la télévision quand son ami est arrivé.” (He was watching TV when his friend arrived.) 

Conditional

The imparfait is used as the base for forming the conditional mood in French. For instance, “Je mangerais” (I would eat) is formed from “je mangeais” (I was eating). 

Si Clauses

In hypothetical or “if” clauses (si clauses), the imparfait is often used to express a condition in the past. For example: “Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une nouvelle voiture.” (If I had money, I would buy a new car.) 

Narration

In storytelling or writing, the imparfait is frequently used to set the scene and describe ongoing actions while the passé composé is used for specific events or actions that interrupted the ongoing ones.
Understanding the French imperfect tense is crucial for effective communication in French. Without it, your conversations will always live in the present!

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb contre-passer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!

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