Passé Simple (Simple Past) 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 pass again/to pass back.” The infinitive form of “contre-passer” is pronounced as “kawn-truh-pah-seh.”

“Contre-passer” is a compound verb in French, combining the preposition “contre” (against) with the verb “passer” (to pass). It is commonly used in everyday French, primarily in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary past tense used in formal writing or storytelling.

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

  1. Il contre-passa la frontière clandestinement. (He passed back across the border clandestinely.)
  2. Elle contre-passa le livre à son ami. (She passed the book back to her friend.)
  3. Ils contre-passèrent devant moi sans me remarquer. (They passed by me again without noticing me.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is usually replaced by other past tenses such as the Passé Composé or Imparfait in everyday conversation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je contrepassai J’ai contrepassai l’article. I counter-passed the article.
Tu contrepassas Tu contrepassas le ballon. You counter-passed the ball.
Il contrepassa Il contrepassa le défenseur. He counter-passed the defender.
Elle contrepassa Elle contrepassa la rivière. She counter-passed the river.
On contrepassa On contrepassa le gardien. One counter-passed the goalkeeper.
Nous contrepassâmes Nous contrepassâmes le document. We counter-passed the document.
Vous contrepassâtes Vous contrepassâtes le message. You counter-passed the message.
Ils contrepassèrent Ils contrepassèrent la balle. They counter-passed the ball.
Elles contrepassèrent Elles contrepassèrent la clôture. They (feminine) counter-passed the fence.

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

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

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 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-passer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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