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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contrecarrer

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The English translation of the French verb contrecarrer is “to thwart” or “to counteract.” The infinitive form, contrecarrer, is pronounced as “kon-truh-kah-reh.”

The word contrecarrer comes from the French words “contre” meaning “against” and “carre” meaning “square.” It literally means “to go against the square,” which can be interpreted as “to go against the norm” or “to oppose.”

In everyday French, contrecarrer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about actions that were completed before another past action. For example, “I had already eaten when you called.”

Here are three simple examples of contrecarrer in the Plus-que-parfait tense with English translations:

  1. J’avais contrecarrĂ© ses plans avant mĂȘme qu’il les mette en action. (I had thwarted his plans even before he put them into action.)

  2. Ils avaient contrecarré toutes nos tentatives de négociation. (They had countered all our attempts at negotiation.)

  3. Tu avais contrecarré mes projets en ne venant pas à la réunion. (You had thwarted my plans by not coming to the meeting.)

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of contrecarrer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais contrecarrĂ© J’avais contrecarrĂ© ses plans. I had foiled his plans.
tu tu avais contrecarré Tu avais contrecarré ses intentions. You had thwarted his intentions.
il il avait contrecarré Il avait contrecarré ses projets. He had hindered his plans.
elle elle avait contrecarré Elle avait contrecarré ses tentatives. She had countered his attempts.
on on avait contrecarré On avait contrecarré ses idées. One had countered his ideas.
nous nous avions contrecarré Nous avions contrecarré ses actions. We had counteracted his actions.
vous vous aviez contrecarré Vous aviez contrecarré ses plans. You had thwarted his plans.
ils ils avaient contrecarré Ils avaient contrecarré ses stratégies. They had countered his strategies.
elles elles avaient contrecarrĂ© Elles avaient contrecarrĂ© ses manƓuvres. They had thwarted his maneuvers.

Other Conjugations for Contrecarrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer
   

    PassĂ© Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer
   

    PassĂ© ComposĂ© (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer
   

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

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

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer     (this article)

    PassĂ© AntĂ©rieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer

    Futur AntĂ©rieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer

    Subjonctif PrĂ©sent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer

    Subjonctif PassĂ© (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer
   

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

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

    Conditionnel PrĂ©sent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer
   

    Conditionnel PassĂ© (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer

    L’impĂ©ratif PrĂ©sent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer

    L’infinitif PrĂ©sent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer

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Contrecarrer – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “ĂȘtre” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangĂ© (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlĂ© (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient jouĂ© (They had played)
2. With “ĂȘtre” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’Ă©tais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu Ă©tais arrivĂ©(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on Ă©tait tombĂ©(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous Ă©tions restĂ©(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous Ă©tiez nĂ©(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles Ă©taient montĂ©(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangĂ© avant qu’il ne soit arrivĂ©” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivĂ©, ils avaient dĂ©jĂ  fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passĂ© composĂ© (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passĂ© composĂ© describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi diffĂ©remment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb contrecarrer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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