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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contrebalancer

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The English translation of the French verb “contrebalancer” is “to counterbalance.” The pronunciation of the infinitive form “contrebalancer” is kɔ̃.tʁə.ba.lɑ̃.se.

The word “contrebalancer” originates from the combination of two French words: “contre” meaning “against” or “opposite,” and “balancer” meaning “to balance.” It is often used in everyday French to express the action of counterbalancing or offsetting something.

In the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past), “contrebalancer” is less commonly used in everyday French. Nonetheless, here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Les avantages contrebalancèrent les inconvénients. (The advantages counterbalanced the disadvantages.)
  2. Sa détermination contrebalança les obstacles rencontrés. (His determination counterbalanced the obstacles encountered.)
  3. La hausse des prix contrebalança les réductions salariales. (The price increase counterbalanced the salary reductions.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is mostly found in written French and is less commonly used in spoken language.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je contrebalançai J’ai contrebalancé les dépenses. I balanced out the expenses.
Tu contrebalanças Tu contrebalanças la situation. You balanced out the situation.
Il contrebalança Il contrebalança les forces. He balanced out the forces.
Elle contrebalança Elle contrebalança les opinions. She balanced out the opinions.
On contrebalança On contrebalança les influences. One balanced out the influences.
Nous contrebalançâmes Nous contrebalançâmes les pertes. We balanced out the losses.
Vous contrebalançâtes Vous contrebalançâtes les avantages. You balanced out the advantages.
Ils contrebalancèrent Ils contrebalancèrent les inconvénients. They balanced out the disadvantages.
Elles contrebalancèrent Elles contrebalancèrent les effets. They (feminine) balanced out the effects.

Other Conjugations for Contrebalancer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrebalancer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Contrebalancer – 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 contrebalancer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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