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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb border

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The English translation of the French verb “border” is “to border” or “to edge.” The infinitive form of “border” is pronounced as “baw-dé.”

The word “border” originated from the Old French word “bordure,” which means “border” or “edge.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, which is a literary tense used mainly in written French to express completed actions in the past.

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

  1. Le chemin de fer borda la rivière. (The railroad bordered the river.)
  2. La clôture borda la propriété. (The fence edged the property.)
  3. La dentelle borda la robe. (The lace bordered the dress.)

In these examples, “border” is used to describe actions of something running alongside or edging something else.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je bordai J’ai bordé la couverture. I border the blanket.
Tu bordas Tu bordas la nappe. You border the tablecloth.
Il borda Il borda le jardin. He borders the garden.
Elle borda Elle borda le chemin. She borders the path.
On borda On borda la rivière. One borders the river.
Nous bordâmes Nous bordâmes le tapis. We border the carpet.
Vous bordâtes Vous bordâtes la photo. You border the picture.
Ils bordèrent Ils bordèrent le tableau. They border the painting.
Elles bordèrent Elles bordèrent la carte. They (feminine) border the map.

Other Conjugations for Border.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb border

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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