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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contre-buter

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The English translation of the French verb “contre-buter” is “to counterattack” or “to make a counter-offensive.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “kohn-truh-byoo-tey.”

The verb “contre-buter” is derived from the combination of two words: “contre” meaning “against” or “opposite,” and “buter” meaning “to strike” or “to attack.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense when referring to past actions or events that were counterattacked or responded to with a counter-offensive.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Les troupes ennemies contre-butèrent avec vigueur. (The enemy troops counterattacked with vigor.)
  2. Après l’attaque initiale, notre armée contre-buta rapidement. (After the initial attack, our army counterattacked swiftly.)
  3. Les défenseurs réorganisèrent leurs forces et contre-butèrent avec succès. (The defenders reorganized their forces and counterattacked successfully.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in everyday spoken French, as it is considered a literary tense. Therefore, the examples provided may not reflect common usage in modern conversation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je contreboutai Je contreboutai la porte. I braced the door.
Tu contreboutas Tu contreboutas le meuble. You braced the furniture.
Il contrebouta Il contrebouta le mur. He braced the wall.
Elle contrebouta Elle contrebouta la chaise. She braced the chair.
On contrebouta On contrebouta la table. One braced the table.
Nous contreboutâmes Nous contreboutâmes le coffre. We braced the chest.
Vous contreboutâtes Vous contreboutâtes le carton. You braced the cardboard.
Ils contreboutèrent Ils contreboutèrent l’étagère. They braced the shelf.
Elles contreboutèrent Elles contreboutèrent la porte. They (feminine) braced the door.

Other Conjugations for Contre-Buter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Contre-Buter – 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-buter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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