contredisez

Contredisez is a French verb form derived from contredire, meaning to contradict or deny. It is the second-person plural present indicative form: vous contredisez, used to say that you, plural, contradict or are contradicting someone or something. It can also function as the present imperative for the second person plural, as in Contredisez-les, meaning “contradict them.” The present tense of contredire for other subjects is je contredis, tu contredis, il contredit, nous contredissons, vous contredisez, ils contredisent. The past participle is contredit, used in compound tenses such as il a contredit.

Etymology: contredire comes from Old French contredire, from Latin contra- “against” + dicere “to say.” The sense has been to oppose what has been said or asserted.

Usage: contredisez appears in contexts where a speaker or writer intends to challenge or refute a statement, testimony, or belief. It is common in debates, journalism, and narrative dialogue. It is typically followed by the proposition being contradicted or by a direct quotation. In mood and tense terms, contredisez is distinct from contredise, which would be the present subjunctive form que vous contredissiez, and from contredit (past participle) used in past tenses.

See also: contredire, contradiction, refutation.