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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contre-tirer

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The English translation of the French verb “contre-tirer” is “to fire back” or “to return fire”. The infinitive form “contre-tirer” is pronounced as “kon-truh-tee-rey”.

“Contre-tirer” is derived from the combination of the prefix “contre-” (meaning “against” or “back”) and the verb “tirer” (meaning “to fire”). It is primarily used in the context of military or combat situations to describe the act of retaliating or shooting back in response to enemy fire.

In the Passé Simple tense, which is mainly used in written French, “contre-tirer” can be conjugated as follows:

  1. J’entrevis l’ennemi et contre-tirai immédiatement.
    (I caught sight of the enemy and immediately fired back.)

  2. Les soldats contre-tirèrent avec précision.
    (The soldiers fired back with accuracy.)

  3. Nous contre-tirâmes jusqu’à ce que l’ennemi se rendît.
    (We fired back until the enemy surrendered.)

Note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in everyday spoken French, with the more common past tense being the Passé Composé.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je contre-tirai Je contre-tirai sur l’ennemi. I counter-fired on the enemy.
Tu contre-tiras Tu contre-tiras avec précision. You counter-fired accurately.
Il contre-tira Il contre-tira sans relâche. He counter-fired relentlessly.
Elle contre-tira Elle contre-tira et toucha la cible. She counter-fired and hit the target.
On contre-tira On contre-tira pour se défendre. One counter-fired to defend oneself.
Nous contre-tirâmes Nous contre-tirâmes en réponse. We counter-fired in response.
Vous contre-tirâtes Vous contre-tirâtes simultanément. You counter-fired simultaneously.
Ils contre-tirèrent Ils contre-tirèrent en retraite. They counter-fired while retreating.
Elles contre-tirèrent Elles contre-tirèrent de loin. They (feminine) counter-fired from a distance.

Other Conjugations for Contre-Tirer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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