contredire
/kɔ̃.tʁə.diʁ/
To contradict in French is contredire.
The verb is used to deny the truth of a statement or statements.
Meaning: deny the truth of (a statement or statements) (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
contredire is a regular -re verb in its conjugation patterns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /kɔ̃.tʁə.diʁ/.
Did you know?
- In French, if you say someone 'se contredit', you are saying they are being inconsistent or hypocritical rather than just arguing with someone.
- In French legal contexts, contredire can be used to formally challenge the credibility of a witness during a trial.
- In formal French debate, simply saying vous me contredisez can be seen as much more confrontational and blunt than the English 'you are contradicting me'.
Examples in context
- Je n'ose pas le contredire.I don't dare to contradict him.Tatoeba #1590973 by Petrus, translation #4877527 by jshholland
- Personne n'ose la contredire.No one dares to contradict her.This sentence shows the use of contredire when referring to a female subject.Tatoeba #6725049 by GB3, translation #6060643 by Hybrid
- Personne n'ose le contredire.No one dares to contradict him.This sentence shows the use of contredire when referring to a male subject.Tatoeba #6725051 by GB3, translation #6060644 by Hybrid
- Je dois contredire votre affirmation.I must contradict your statement
- Il a réfuté ma théorie.He refuted my theory
- Ses actions vont à l'encontre de tout ce qu'elle a dit.Her actions go against everything she said
- Il a infirmé ce que j'ai dit.He contradicted what I said
- Elle a contesté son point de vue.She contested his point of view
- Elle a contredit la théorie du professeur.She contradicted the professor's theory.
- Ils ont réfuté mon argument avec de solides preuves.They refuted my argument with strong evidence.
- Il a contesté tout ce qu'elle a dit pendant le débat.He contested everything she said during the debate.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are discussing a story told by a friend.
- LucasIl a menti sur son âge.He lied about his age.
- EmmaJe ne veux pas le contredire maintenant.I don't want to contradict him now.
- LucasMais c'est important de dire la vérité.But it is important to tell the truth.
- EmmaOn en parlera plus tard, Lucas.We will talk about it later, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “contradict” translations and entries contredire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
