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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bâillonner

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The English translation of the French verb bâillonner is “to gag” or “to muzzle”. The infinitive form of bâillonner is pronounced as “bah-yo-nay”.

The word bâillonner originates from the French noun “bâillon,” meaning “gag” or “muzzle.” It is derived from the Old French word “baillier,” which means “to deliver” or “to give.” Bâillonner is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary or formal past tense used in written texts.

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

  1. Les ravisseurs bâillonnèrent le otage.
    (The kidnappers gagged the hostage.)

  2. Il bâillonna les témoins pour qu’ils ne puissent pas parler.
    (He gagged the witnesses so that they couldn’t speak.)

  3. Les manifestants furent bâillonnés par la police.
    (The protesters were muzzled by the police.)

Note: In everyday spoken French, the Passé Simple tense is rarely used, and the compound past tense (Passé Composé) is more commonly employed to discuss past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je bâillonnai J’ai bâillonnai la victime. I gagged the victim.
Tu bâillonnas Tu bâillonnas le témoin. You gagged the witness.
Il bâillonna Il bâillonna le prisonnier. He gagged the prisoner.
Elle bâillonna Elle bâillonna le chien. She gagged the dog.
On bâillonna On bâillonna le voleur. One gagged the thief.
Nous bâillonnâmes Nous bâillonnâmes les otages. We gagged the hostages.
Vous bâillonnâtes Vous bâillonnâtes le suspect. You gagged the suspect.
Ils bâillonnèrent Ils bâillonnèrent les manifestants. They gagged the protesters.
Elles bâillonnèrent Elles bâillonnèrent les victimes. They (feminine) gagged the victims.

Other Conjugations for Bâillonner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bâillonner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bâillonner – 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.

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