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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bécoter

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The English translation of the French verb bécoter is “to kiss” or “to peck.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “beh-ko-teh.”

The word bécoter comes from the French verb “bécot,” which means “a small kiss.” It is derived from the noun “bec,” meaning “beak,” which refers to the action of pecking or kissing with the lips pursed together.

In everyday French, bécoter is most often used in the Passé Antérieur tense, which is the past tense that is used to describe an action that occurred before another action in the past.

Example 1: J’eus bécoté ma copine avant qu’elle parte. (I had kissed my girlfriend before she left.)
Example 2: Tu eus bécoté ton copain en secret. (You had kissed your boyfriend in secret.)
Example 3: Il eut bécoté sa petite amie lorsqu’il apprit la bonne nouvelle. (He had kissed his girlfriend when he heard the good news.)

English translations:
Example 1: I had kissed my girlfriend before she left.
Example 2: You had kissed your boyfriend in secret.
Example 3: He had kissed his girlfriend when he heard the good news.

Table of the Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of bécoter

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’eus bécoté J’eus bécoté ma petite amie I had kissed my girlfriend
tu tu eus bécoté Tu eus bécoté ton amoureux You had kissed your lover
il il eut bécoté Il eut bécoté sa petite amie He had kissed his girlfriend
elle elle eut bécoté Elle eut bécoté son amoureux She had kissed her lover
on on eut bécoté On eut bécoté son/sa petit(e) ami(e) One had kissed his/her boyfriend/girlfriend
nous nous eûmes bécoté Nous eûmes bécoté nos amoureux We had kissed our lovers
vous vous eûtes bécoté Vous eûtes bécoté vos petits amis You had kissed your boyfriends/girlfriends
ils ils eurent bécoté Ils eurent bécoté leurs petites amies They had kissed their girlfriends
elles elles eurent bécoté Elles eurent bécoté leurs petits amis They had kissed their boyfriends

Other Conjugations for Bécoter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bécoter
   

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

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bécoter
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bécoter
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bécoter
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bécoter
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bécoter (this article)

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

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

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bécoter
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bécoter

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bécoter
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bécoter
   

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

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

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

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Bécoter – About the French Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense

The French Passé Antérieur tense, often referred to as the “past anterior” in English, is a literary and formal past tense that is not commonly used in everyday spoken French. It is primarily found in written language, particularly in literature, historical texts, and formal writing. This tense is used to express actions that occurred before another action in the past, serving a similar purpose to the past perfect tense (passé composé) in English.

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

Formation of the Passé Antérieur

The Passé Antérieur is formed by using the third person singular of the passé simple (simple past) tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
The choice between “avoir” and “être” as the auxiliary verb depends on the main verb and its transitivity or intransitivity. Here is the basic structure:
1. For verbs that use “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’eus (I had) + past participle (of the main verb)
2. For verbs that use “être” as the auxiliary verb:
   – Je fus (I was) + past participle (of the main verb)

Common Usage Patterns

As mentioned earlier, the Passé Antérieur is primarily used in formal and literary contexts. It is rarely used in everyday spoken French, where the passé composé and imparfait are more commonly used to express past actions. Some common patterns of usage include:

Literature

The Passé Antérieur is frequently used in literature to describe past events in a succinct and formal manner.

Historical Texts

It is used in historical narratives to recount past actions and events.

Formal Writing

In formal and academic writing, the Passé Antérieur can be employed to convey events in the past with a sense of formality and precision.

Interactions with Other Tenses

The Passé Antérieur often interacts with other tenses, especially when narrating past events in a chronological order:

Passé Composé (Present Perfect)

The Passé Antérieur can be used to indicate an action that occurred before another action expressed in the passé composé. For example: “Il eut terminé son travail avant que je ne sois arrivé.” (He had finished his work before I arrived).

Imparfait (Imperfect)

The Passé Antérieur may be used in conjunction with the imparfait to convey a sequence of past actions. For instance: “Elle arriva après que nous eûmes commencé.” (She arrived after we had started).

Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect)

In the context of storytelling or narration, the Passé Antérieur can be used to describe events that happened before a future action expressed in the futur antérieur. For example: “Il partira après qu’il aura fini.” (He will leave after he has finished).

Summary

Passé Antérieur is a formal past tense used in written language and literary contexts to describe actions that occurred before another action in the past. It is not commonly used in everyday spoken French where you should instead use the passé composé and imparfait for discussing past events.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb bécoter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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