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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb adonner

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The English translation of the French verb “adonner” is “to give in” or “to yield.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “a-doh-neh.”

The word “adonner” has Latin origins. It comes from the Latin verb “adonare,” meaning “to give, to present.” In everyday French, “adonner” is most often used in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense and is predominantly found in written French.

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

  1. Les manifestants n’adonnèrent pas malgré les avertissements de la police.
    (The protesters did not give in despite the police warnings.)

  2. Face à leur détermination, le gouvernement adonna et accepta leurs revendications.
    (Faced with their determination, the government gave in and accepted their demands.)

  3. Il adonna devant l’opposition publique et annula le projet de loi.
    (He yielded to public opposition and canceled the bill.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is used mostly in literature, formal writing, or historical contexts in contemporary French. In spoken language, the Passé Composé or other compound tenses are more commonly used instead.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je adonnai J’adonnai mon temps à cette cause. I devoted my time to this cause.
Tu adonnas Tu adonnas tes efforts à ce projet. You devoted your efforts to this project.
Il adonna Il adonna sa vie à la musique. He devoted his life to music.
Elle adonna Elle adonna son talent à l’art. She devoted her talent to art.
On adonna On adonna notre énergie à cette tâche. One devoted our energy to this task.
Nous adonnâmes Nous adonnâmes nos ressources à cette entreprise. We devoted our resources to this enterprise.
Vous adonnâtes Vous adonnâtes votre attention à ce problème. You devoted your attention to this problem.
Ils adonnèrent Ils adonnèrent leur argent à cette association. They devoted their money to this association.
Elles adonnèrent Elles adonnèrent leur passion à cette activité. They (feminine) devoted their passion to this activity.

Other Conjugations for Adonner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb adonner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Adonner – 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 adonner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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