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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contre-attaquer

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The English translation of the French verb “contre-attaquer” is “to counterattack.” The infinitive form of “contre-attaquer” is pronounced as “kɔ̃tʁ.atake” in French.

“Contre-attaquer” is a compound verb that originated from the combination of the prefix “contre-” meaning “against” and the verb “attaquer” meaning “to attack.” It is commonly used in everyday French to describe the action of responding to an attack by launching a counterattack.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “contre-attaquer” is less commonly used in everyday French as it is mainly found in formal or written language. Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. L’armée contre-attaqua avec force.
    (The army counterattacked with force.)

  2. La défense adverse fut inefficace, nous contre-attaquâmes immédiatement.
    (The opposing defense was ineffective, so we counterattacked immediately.)

  3. Contre-attaquèrent-ils après le bombardement initial ?
    (Did they counterattack after the initial bombing?)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is less commonly used in spoken French, and the preferred tense for narrating past events in everyday conversation is often the Passé Composé or Imparfait.

Table of the Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of contre-attaquer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je contre-attaquai J’ai contre-attaquai. I counterattacked.
Tu contre-attaquas Tu contre-attaquas. You counterattacked.
Il contre-attaqua Il contre-attaqua. He counterattacked.
Elle contre-attaqua Elle contre-attaqua. She counterattacked.
On contre-attaqua On contre-attaqua. One counterattacked.
Nous contre-attaquâmes Nous contre-attaquâmes. We counterattacked.
Vous contre-attaquâtes Vous contre-attaquâtes. You counterattacked.
Ils contre-attaquèrent Ils contre-attaquèrent. They counterattacked.
Elles contre-attaquèrent Elles contre-attaquèrent. They (feminine) counterattacked.

Other Conjugations for Contre-Attaquer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Contre-Attaquer – 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 contre-attaquer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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