French Verbs with Contre - Lawless French Grammar

French verbs requiring a preposition


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A number of French verbs require the preposition contre in front of a noun or stressed pronoun.

aboyer contre quelqu’un		to bark/yell at someone
s’abriter contre (le vent, la pluie)		to take shelter against (the wind, rain)
acculer quelqu’un contre		to drive someone back to/against
s’acharner contre quelqu’un		to dog, hound; to have one’s knife into
adosser contre		to stand/lean against
agir contre l’avis (de quelqu’un)		to act against (someone’s) advice
agir contre les ordres		to act against orders
aguerrir quelqu’un contre		to harden / inure someone to
aller contre le courant		to go against the current
aller contre le vent		to go into the wind
s’appuyer contre (un arbre, mur)		to lean against (a tree, wall)
s’asseoir contre (qqun)		to sit next to (someone)
se battre contre		to fight against
se blottir contre (qqun)		to cuddle next to (someone)
se cogner la tête contre le mur		to bang one’s head against the wall
donner (qqch) contre (qqch)		to give (something) in exchange for (something)
échanger (qqch) contre (qqch)		to exchange (something) for (something)
être contre		to be against, disagree with
être en colère contre		to be mad/angry at
être juste contre qqch		to be right next to something
se fâcher contre		to get mad/angry at
faire grève contre		to strike against
heurter contre		to stumble/knock/bang against
manifester contre		to protest against
se mettre contre (le mur, la porte)		to stand against (the wall, door)
nager contre le courant		to swim against the current
prendre le contre-pied		to take the opposing view / course
prendre parti contre		to side against
serrer qqun contre son cœur / sa poitrine		to hug someone
troquer (qqch) contre (qqch)		to swap (something) for (something)
s’unir contre		to unite against
voter contre		to vote against