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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affubler

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The English translation of the verb “affubler” is “to adorn” or “to deck out.” The infinitive form “affubler” is pronounced as “ah-fyoo-bleh.”

“Affubler” comes from the Old French word “fuble,” meaning “to dress,” and the prefix “a-” which denotes an action that is done to someone.

In everyday French, the Passé Simple tense is no longer commonly used in spoken language but is found in formal writing or literature. However, in the past, “affubler” was used in the Passé Simple tense to describe actions that occurred and were completed in the past.

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

  1. Les invités s’affublèrent de leurs plus beaux vêtements pour la soirée.
    Translation: The guests adorned themselves with their finest clothes for the evening.

  2. Elle s’affubla d’un chapeau extravagant pour le mariage.
    Translation: She decked herself out with an extravagant hat for the wedding.

  3. Ils s’affublèrent de masques effrayants pour le bal costumé.
    Translation: They adorned themselves with scary masks for the costume ball.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je affublai J’affublai le chapeau ridicule. I adorned the ridiculous hat.
Tu affublas Tu affublas le chat d’un costume. You dressed the cat in a costume.
Il affubla Il affubla sa sœur de bijoux. He adorned his sister with jewelry.
Elle affubla Elle affubla son frère d’une perruque. She adorned her brother with a wig.
On affubla On affubla le chien d’une cape. One dressed the dog in a cape.
Nous affublâmes Nous affublâmes le bébé d’une couverture. We wrapped the baby in a blanket.
Vous affublâtes Vous affublâtes les statues de fleurs. You adorned the statues with flowers.
Ils affublèrent Ils affublèrent les invités de masques. They dressed the guests in masks.
Elles affublèrent Elles affublèrent les poupées de tenues élégantes. They (feminine) adorned the dolls with elegant outfits.

Other Conjugations for Affubler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affubler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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