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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bouffonner

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The English translation of the French verb bouffonner is “to clown around” or “to act foolishly”. The infinitive form of bouffonner is pronounced as “boo-fo-nay” with a silent “r” at the end.

The verb bouffonner originates from the noun “bouffon”, which means “buffoon” or “jester” in English. It is derived from the Italian word “buffone”. In everyday French, bouffonner is often used in the Passé Simple tense to describe past actions in a formal and literary manner.

Examples of bouffonner in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Il bouffonna dans la rue en faisant des blagues. (He clowned around in the street by telling jokes.)
  2. Elle bouffonna lors de la réunion, distraire tout le monde. (She acted foolishly during the meeting, distracting everyone.)
  3. Les enfants bouffonnèrent toute la soirée, causant beaucoup de rire. (The children clowned around all evening, causing much laughter.)

English Translations:

  1. He clowned around in the street by telling jokes.
  2. She acted foolishly during the meeting, distracting everyone.
  3. The children clowned around all evening, causing much laughter.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je bouffonnai Je bouffonnai devant le miroir. I acted foolishly in front of the mirror.
Tu bouffonnas Tu bouffonnas toute la soirée. You acted foolishly all evening.
Il bouffonna Il bouffonna en public. He acted foolishly in public.
Elle bouffonna Elle bouffonna avec ses amis. She acted foolishly with her friends.
On bouffonna On bouffonna toute la nuit. One acted foolishly all night.
Nous bouffonnâmes Nous bouffonnâmes sur scène. We acted foolishly on stage.
Vous bouffonnâtes Vous bouffonnâtes dans la rue. You acted foolishly in the street.
Ils bouffonnèrent Ils bouffonnèrent pendant le spectacle. They acted foolishly during the show.
Elles bouffonnèrent Elles bouffonnèrent en classe. They (feminine) acted foolishly in class.

Other Conjugations for Bouffonner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bouffonner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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