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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb balancer

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je balançai J’équilibrai le bâton. I balanced the stick.
Tu balanças Tu balanças d’un pied à l’autre. You swayed from one foot to the other.
Il balança Il balança le bébé dans ses bras. He rocked the baby in his arms.
Elle balança Elle balança la corde. She swung the rope.
On balança On balança les clés. One swung the keys.
Nous balançâmes Nous balançâmes sur la balançoire. We swung on the swing.
Vous balançâtes Vous balançâtes le sac. You swung the bag.
Ils balancèrent Ils balancèrent les jambes. They swung their legs.
Elles balancèrent Elles balancèrent les bras. They (feminine) swung their arms.

Other Conjugations for Balancer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balancer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Balancer – 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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