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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb benner

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The English translation of the French verb “benner” is “to nod off/to doze off.” The infinitive form “benner” is pronounced as [bɛ.ne].

The verb “benner” originated from the colloquial French term “bien,” which means “well” or “good.” In everyday French, “benner” is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe the action of dozing off or nodding off in the past.

Here are three examples of “benner” in the Passé Simple tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Hier soir, je bennai devant la télévision.
    Translation: Last night, I dozed off in front of the television.

  2. Pendant la réunion, mon collègue benna plusieurs fois.
    Translation: During the meeting, my colleague nodded off several times.

  3. Quand j’étais à l’école, je bennai souvent en classe.
    Translation: When I was at school, I often dozed off in class.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je bennai Je bennai le béton. I crushed the concrete.
Tu bennas Tu bennas les déchets. You crushed the waste.
Il benna Il benna la ferraille. He crushed the scrap metal.
Elle benna Elle benna les canettes. She crushed the cans.
On benna On benna les bouteilles. One crushed the bottles.
Nous bennâmes Nous bennâmes les cartons. We crushed the cardboard.
Vous bennâtes Vous bennâtes les boîtes. You crushed the boxes.
Ils bennèrent Ils bennèrent les bidons. They crushed the drums.
Elles bennèrent Elles bennèrent les caisses. They (feminine) crushed the crates.

Other Conjugations for Benner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb benner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Benner – 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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