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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb botter

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The English translation of the French verb “botter” is “to kick.” The infinitive form of “botter” is pronounced as “boh-teh.”

The verb “botter” comes from the Old French word “bote” meaning “to strike.” It is commonly used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is a literary past tense mainly found in written texts. In spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express the past.

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

  1. Il botta le ballon avec puissance. (He kicked the ball with power.)
  2. Elle botta l’adversaire sans hésitation. (She kicked the opponent without hesitation.)
  3. Ils bottèrent une fois de plus pour marquer un but. (They kicked once again to score a goal.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is not widely used in spoken French, and the Passé Composé is usually used instead to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je bottai Je bottai le ballon. I kicked the ball.
Tu bottas Tu bottas le mur. You kicked the wall.
Il botta Il botta le ballon. He kicked the ball.
Elle botta Elle botta le ballon. She kicked the ball.
On botta On botta la porte. One kicked the door.
Nous bottâmes Nous bottâmes le ballon. We kicked the ball.
Vous bottâtes Vous bottâtes le ballon. You kicked the ball.
Ils bottèrent Ils bottèrent le ballon. They kicked the ball.
Elles bottèrent Elles bottèrent le ballon. They (feminine) kicked the ball.

Other Conjugations for Botter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb botter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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