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French preposition
The preposition contre usually means "against," but it has other meanings in certain contexts.
1) Physical contact |
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| se mettre contre une porte | to stand against a door | |
| s’asseoir contre quelqu’un | to sit next to someone | |
2) Opposition |
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| je vote contre le président en exercice | I’m voting against the incumbent president | |
| c’est un acte contre nature | it’s an act against nature | |
3) Defense / Protection |
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| s’abriter contre la pluie | to take shelter from the rain | |
| s’assurer contre l’incendie | to insure oneself against fire | |
4) Exchange |
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| échanger un stylo contre un crayon | to exchange a pen for a pencil | |
| ceder contre la promesse que … | to agree in return for the promis that … | |
5) Verbs with contre |
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| Many verbs need contre in front of a noun or stressed pronoun. | ||
6) Expressions with contre |
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Antonym: pour
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