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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contrarier

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The English translation of the French verb contrarier is “to upset” or “to bother.” The infinitive form of contrarier is pronounced as “kohn-trah-rye-yay.”

Contrarier comes from the Latin word “contrariare,” which means “to oppose” or “to contradict.” In everyday French, it is most commonly used in the present tense to express annoyance, frustration, or upset caused by someone or something.

Here are three examples of contrarier used in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je contrariai mes parents en refusant d’aller à l’université. (I upset my parents by refusing to go to college.)
  2. La nouvelle politique de l’entreprise contraria les employés. (The new company policy bothered the employees.)
  3. L’incident contraria grandement notre voyage. (The incident greatly upset our trip.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is a literary tense in French and is rarely used in everyday spoken language.

Table of the Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of contrarier

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je contrariai J’ai contrarié mes parents. I annoyed my parents.
Tu contrarias Tu contrarias ton ami. You annoyed your friend.
Il contraria Il contraria sa sœur. He annoyed his sister.
Elle contraria Elle contraria son frère. She annoyed her brother.
On contraria On contraria les invités. One annoyed the guests.
Nous contrariâmes Nous contrariâmes nos voisins. We annoyed our neighbors.
Vous contrariâtes Vous contrariâtes votre professeur. You annoyed your teacher.
Ils contrarièrent Ils contrarièrent leur patron. They annoyed their boss.
Elles contrarièrent Elles contrarièrent leurs parents. They (feminine) annoyed their parents.

Other Conjugations for Contrarier.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrarier

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrarier (You’re reading it right now!)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrarier

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

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrarier

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrarier

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrarier

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Contrarier – About the French Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense

The French Passé Simple, also known as the Simple Past or Preterite, is a past tense used in written French to describe completed actions that took place at a specific point in the past.
It is not commonly used in everyday spoken language, where the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense. The Passé Simple is mainly found in literature, formal writing, and historical contexts. It has a somewhat limited use in modern French, and its conjugation can be complex.  
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

The Passé Simple is formed by conjugating the verb according to its specific endings for regular and irregular verbs. The endings typically vary based on the verb group (i.e., -er, -ir, or -re). For example:
   – For regular -er verbs (e.g., manger, parler): Remove the -er ending and add appropriate endings, like -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent.
   – For regular -ir verbs (e.g., finir, choisir): Remove the -ir ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.
   – For regular -re verbs (e.g., vendre, attendre): Remove the -re ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.

Usage

Narration

The Passé Simple is commonly used in literature to describe past events in a narrative or storytelling context.

Historical Context

It can be used in historical writing or documents to discuss events that took place in the past.
Formal Writing
In formal or academic writing, especially in essays or reports, you might encounter the Passé Simple.

Interactions with other tenses

Passé Composé

In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the go-to tense for describing completed actions in the past. The Passé Simple is not commonly used in spoken language and is often replaced by the Passé Composé.

Imparfait

While the Passé Simple focuses on completed actions in the past, the Imparfait is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. They can sometimes be used together to provide a more detailed past narrative. For example, “Il lisait un livre quand il reçut un appel.” (He was reading a book when he received a call).

Conditional and Subjunctive

The Passé Simple can also be found in the conditional and subjunctive moods in formal writing. For instance, “Il faudrait qu’il partît” (He should leave, subjunctive).

Summary

The French Passé Simple is primarily used in formal or literary contexts, and its conjugation can be quite complex. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense for describing completed actions.

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

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