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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ballonner

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The English translation of the French verb “ballonner” is “to balloon.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “bah-loh-neh.”

The word “ballonner” comes from the noun “ballon,” meaning “balloon” in English. It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense used in formal writing or storytelling.

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

  1. Il ballonna dans le ciel bleu. (He ballooned in the blue sky.)
  2. Les enfants ballonnèrent leurs ballons colorés. (The children ballooned their colorful balloons.)
  3. Lors de la fête, les ballons ballonnèrent dans tous les coins. (During the party, the balloons ballooned in every corner.)

Please note that while the Passé Simple tense is still used in formal writing, it is rarely used in spoken French. The examples provided above represent its usage in a literary context.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je ballonnai J’ai ballonnai le ballon. I inflated the balloon.
Tu ballonnas Tu ballonnas le pneu. You inflated the tire.
Il ballonna Il ballonna le ballon. He inflated the balloon.
Elle ballonna Elle ballonna la balle. She inflated the ball.
On ballonna On ballonna les pneus. One inflated the tires.
Nous ballonnâmes Nous ballonnâmes les ballons. We inflated the balloons.
Vous ballonnâtes Vous ballonnâtes le ballon. You inflated the balloon.
Ils ballonnèrent Ils ballonnèrent les balles. They inflated the balls.
Elles ballonnèrent Elles ballonnèrent les pneus. They (feminine) inflated the tires.

Other Conjugations for Ballonner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ballonner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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