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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb abonner

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The English translation of the French verb “abonner” is “to subscribe”. The infinitive form “abonner” is pronounced as /a.bɔ.ne/.

The word “abonner” originated from the Old French word “aboner”, which comes from the Latin word “ad bonum”, meaning “for good”. In everyday French, “abonner” is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe actions that occurred in the past. However, it is important to note that the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French and is mainly found in written French, such as in literature or formal writing.

Here are three examples of “abonner” used in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je l’abonnai à son magazine préféré. (I subscribed him/her to his/her favorite magazine.)
  2. La société abonna tous ses employés à un service de streaming. (The company subscribed all its employees to a streaming service.)
  3. Ils abonnèrent leur maison à un service de livraison de repas. (They subscribed their house to a meal delivery service.)

Table of the Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of abonner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je abonnai J’abonnai au magazine. I subscribed to the magazine.
Tu abonnas Tu abonnas ton ami. You subscribed your friend.
Il abonna Il abonna sa sœur. He subscribed his sister.
Elle abonna Elle abonna son frère. She subscribed her brother.
On abonna On abonna la famille. One subscribed the family.
Nous abonnâmes Nous abonnâmes l’équipe. We subscribed the team.
Vous abonnâtes Vous abonnâtes au journal. You subscribed to the newspaper.
Ils abonnèrent Ils abonnèrent leur club. They subscribed their club.
Elles abonnèrent Elles abonnèrent leur entreprise. They (feminine) subscribed their company.

Other Conjugations for Abonner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abonner

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abonner (You’re reading it right now!)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abonner

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

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abonner

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abonner

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abonner

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Abonner – About the French Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense

The French Passé Simple, also known as the Simple Past or Preterite, is a past tense used in written French to describe completed actions that took place at a specific point in the past.
It is not commonly used in everyday spoken language, where the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense. The Passé Simple is mainly found in literature, formal writing, and historical contexts. It has a somewhat limited use in modern French, and its conjugation can be complex.  
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

The Passé Simple is formed by conjugating the verb according to its specific endings for regular and irregular verbs. The endings typically vary based on the verb group (i.e., -er, -ir, or -re). For example:
   – For regular -er verbs (e.g., manger, parler): Remove the -er ending and add appropriate endings, like -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent.
   – For regular -ir verbs (e.g., finir, choisir): Remove the -ir ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.
   – For regular -re verbs (e.g., vendre, attendre): Remove the -re ending and add endings like -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent.

Usage

Narration

The Passé Simple is commonly used in literature to describe past events in a narrative or storytelling context.

Historical Context

It can be used in historical writing or documents to discuss events that took place in the past.
Formal Writing
In formal or academic writing, especially in essays or reports, you might encounter the Passé Simple.

Interactions with other tenses

Passé Composé

In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the go-to tense for describing completed actions in the past. The Passé Simple is not commonly used in spoken language and is often replaced by the Passé Composé.

Imparfait

While the Passé Simple focuses on completed actions in the past, the Imparfait is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. They can sometimes be used together to provide a more detailed past narrative. For example, “Il lisait un livre quand il reçut un appel.” (He was reading a book when he received a call).

Conditional and Subjunctive

The Passé Simple can also be found in the conditional and subjunctive moods in formal writing. For instance, “Il faudrait qu’il partît” (He should leave, subjunctive).

Summary

The French Passé Simple is primarily used in formal or literary contexts, and its conjugation can be quite complex. In everyday spoken French, the Passé Composé is the preferred past tense for describing completed actions.

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

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