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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bécoter

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The English translation of the French verb “bécoter” is “to smooch” or “to kiss”. The infinitive form of bécoter is pronounced as “bay-koh-tay”.

The word “bécoter” originated from the French word “bec” meaning “beak” or “kiss”. It is commonly used in everyday French to refer to giving light kisses or smooches.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “bécoter” is not frequently used in modern French. However, here are three examples of its usage in this tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Elle bécota ses joues rouges.
    (She smooched his/her red cheeks.)

  2. Ils se bécotèrent passionnément.
    (They passionately smooched each other.)

  3. Nous nous bécotâmes devant la porte.
    (We kissed each other in front of the door.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je bécotai Je bécotai mon copain. I kissed my boyfriend.
Tu bécotas Tu bécotas ta petite amie. You kissed your girlfriend.
Il bécota Il bécota une inconnue. He kissed a stranger.
Elle bécota Elle bécota son amoureux. She kissed her lover.
On bécota On bécota passionnément. One kissed passionately.
Nous bécotâmes Nous bécotâmes dans le parc. We kissed in the park.
Vous bécotâtes Vous bécotâtes sur la plage. You kissed on the beach.
Ils bécotèrent Ils bécotèrent leurs conquêtes. They kissed their conquests.
Elles bécotèrent Elles bécotèrent leurs amants. They (feminine) kissed their lovers.

Other Conjugations for Bécoter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bécoter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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