Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) 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 counteract” or “to foil.” The infinitive form of contrecarrer is pronounced as “kohn-truh-kah-reh.”

The word contrecarrer comes from the Latin term “contra carrum,” meaning “against the cart.” It entered the French language in the 16th century and is derived from the verb “carreer,” which means “to run.” In everyday French, contrecarrer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of how contrecarrer is used in the Subjonctif Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Il était important que nous ayons contrecarré ses plans. (It was important that we had countered his plans.)

  2. J’aurais aimé que tu aies contrecarré ses intentions. (I would have liked it if you had foiled his intentions.)

  3. Il se peut que nous ayons contrecarré leurs tentatives de sabotage. (It’s possible that we have countered their sabotage attempts.)

Table of the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of contrecarrer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie contrecarré Je doute que j’aie contrecarré ses plans. I doubt that I thwarted his plans.
tu aies contrecarré Il faut que tu aies contrecarré ses efforts. You must have countered his efforts.
il ait contrecarré Il est possible qu’il ait contrecarré notre stratégie. It’s possible he foiled our strategy.
elle ait contrecarré Elle craint qu’elle ait contrecarré nos projets. She fears she thwarted our plans.
on ait contrecarré On veut qu’on ait contrecarré leur influence. We want to have countered their influence.
nous ayons contrecarré Espérons que nous ayons contrecarré leurs manœuvres. Let’s hope we thwarted their maneuvers.
vous ayez contrecarré Il est important que vous ayez contrecarré leurs intentions. It’s important that you countered their intentions.
ils aient contrecarré Ils doutent qu’ils aient contrecarré nos plans. They doubt they foiled our plans.
elles aient contrecarré Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient contrecarré leurs projets. They prefer they thwarted their plans.

Other Conjugations for Contrecarrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer
   

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

    Passé Composé (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
   

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

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

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

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer     (this article)

    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 Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrecarrer
   

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

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

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

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Contrecarrer – About the French Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense

The French Subjonctif Passé is a verb tense used to express actions or states that are uncertain, hypothetical, or dependent on some condition in the past. It’s often used in conjunction with the main verb in the present or future tense to convey various nuances of doubt, desire, necessity, or emotion.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation of the Subjonctif Passé

To form the Subjonctif Passé, you generally need to start with the third person plural (ils/elles) form of the passé composé (a compound past tense). Then, drop the subject and replace it with the appropriate Subjonctif endings. The endings are the same for regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs:

   – For -er verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent
   – For -ir verbs: -isse, -isses, -ît, -issions, -issiez, -issent
   – For -re verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent

For example, if you have the verb “parler” (to speak) in the third person plural passé composé, which is “ils ont parlé” (they spoke), the Subjonctif Passé form would be “qu’ils aient parlé” (that they spoke).

Everyday Usage Patterns

The Subjonctif Passé is commonly used in various situations:

– Expressing doubt or uncertainty: It’s used when you’re not certain about the completion of an action in the past. For example, “Je doute qu’il ait mangé” (I doubt that he ate).

– Desires and preferences: When you want or wish for something to have happened in the past. For instance, “Je préfère que tu aies réussi” (I prefer that you have succeeded).

– Expressing emotions: To convey emotions or feelings related to past actions or events. For example, “Il est content que nous ayons gagné” (He is happy that we won).

– Hypothetical situations: When discussing hypothetical or unreal past situations. For example, “Si j’avais su, j’aurais souhaité qu’ils aient été là” (If I had known, I would have wished they had been there).

Interactions with Other Tenses

The Subjonctif Passé often interacts with other tenses to convey specific meanings:

Present tense

It’s commonly used after expressions of doubt, desire, necessity, or emotion in the present. For example, “Il faut que tu aies fini” (You must have finished).

Future tense

It’s used in the future for hypothetical or unreal actions in the past when the main clause is in the future. For example, “Je douterai qu’ils aient terminé demain” (I will doubt that they have finished tomorrow).

Conditional

When the main clause is in the conditional, the Subjonctif Passé can be used to express unreal or hypothetical actions in the past. For instance, “Il voudrait que nous ayons réussi” (He would like us to have succeeded).

Summary

The Subjonctif Passé is a versatile tense used in French to convey uncertainty, doubt, desire, or hypothetical situations related to past actions. It is used in various everyday contexts and interacts with other tenses to express specific nuances in the language.

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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