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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contractualiser

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The English translation of the French verb contractualiser is “to contract” or “to formalize into a contract.” It is pronounced as “kon-TRAH-tyoo-al-ee-ZAY.”

The word “contractualiser” is a combination of the French words “contrat” meaning contract and “aliser” meaning to make. It is a reflexive verb, meaning it is used with a reflexive pronoun (se) to indicate that the subject is performing the action on itself.

In everyday French, contractualiser is most often used in the Passé Antérieur tense, which is the past tense that is used to describe an action that occurred before another past action. This tense is typically used in formal or written French.

Examples of contractualiser in the Passé Antérieur tense with English translations are:

  1. Nous nous étions contractualisés avant la fin du mois. (We had contracted before the end of the month.)
  2. Le président avait contractualisé un accord avec les partenaires étrangers. (The president had formalized an agreement with foreign partners.)
  3. Ils s’étaient contractualisés pour travailler ensemble sur ce projet. (They had contracted to work together on this project.)

In these examples, the verb contractualiser is used to indicate an action that was completed before another past action, such as the end of the month, the signing of an agreement, or the start of a project. It is a more formal way of expressing that something was agreed upon or formalized in the past.

Table of the Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of contractualiser

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’eus contractualisé J’eus contractualisé I had contracted
tu tu eus contractualisé Tu eus contractualisé You had contracted
il il eut contractualisé Il eut contractualisé He had contracted
elle elle eut contractualisé Elle eut contractualisé She had contracted
on on eut contractualisé On eut contractualisé One had contracted
nous nous eûmes contractualisé Nous eûmes contractualisé We had contracted
vous vous eûtes contractualisé Vous eûtes contractualisé You had contracted
ils ils eurent contractualisé Ils eurent contractualisé They had contracted
elles elles eurent contractualisé Elles eurent contractualisé They had contracted

Other Conjugations for Contractualiser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contractualiser
   

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

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

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

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

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

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contractualiser (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Contractualiser – About the French Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense

The French Passé Antérieur tense, often referred to as the “past anterior” in English, is a literary and formal past tense that is not commonly used in everyday spoken French. It is primarily found in written language, particularly in literature, historical texts, and formal writing. This tense is used to express actions that occurred before another action in the past, serving a similar purpose to the past perfect tense (passé composé) in English.

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

Formation of the Passé Antérieur

The Passé Antérieur is formed by using the third person singular of the passé simple (simple past) tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
The choice between “avoir” and “être” as the auxiliary verb depends on the main verb and its transitivity or intransitivity. Here is the basic structure:
1. For verbs that use “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’eus (I had) + past participle (of the main verb)
2. For verbs that use “être” as the auxiliary verb:
   – Je fus (I was) + past participle (of the main verb)

Common Usage Patterns

As mentioned earlier, the Passé Antérieur is primarily used in formal and literary contexts. It is rarely used in everyday spoken French, where the passé composé and imparfait are more commonly used to express past actions. Some common patterns of usage include:

Literature

The Passé Antérieur is frequently used in literature to describe past events in a succinct and formal manner.

Historical Texts

It is used in historical narratives to recount past actions and events.

Formal Writing

In formal and academic writing, the Passé Antérieur can be employed to convey events in the past with a sense of formality and precision.

Interactions with Other Tenses

The Passé Antérieur often interacts with other tenses, especially when narrating past events in a chronological order:

Passé Composé (Present Perfect)

The Passé Antérieur can be used to indicate an action that occurred before another action expressed in the passé composé. For example: “Il eut terminé son travail avant que je ne sois arrivé.” (He had finished his work before I arrived).

Imparfait (Imperfect)

The Passé Antérieur may be used in conjunction with the imparfait to convey a sequence of past actions. For instance: “Elle arriva après que nous eûmes commencé.” (She arrived after we had started).

Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect)

In the context of storytelling or narration, the Passé Antérieur can be used to describe events that happened before a future action expressed in the futur antérieur. For example: “Il partira après qu’il aura fini.” (He will leave after he has finished).

Summary

Passé Antérieur is a formal past tense used in written language and literary contexts to describe actions that occurred before another action in the past. It is not commonly used in everyday spoken French where you should instead use the passé composé and imparfait for discussing past events.

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