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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bouleverser

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The English translation of the French verb bouleverser is “to overturn” or “to upset”. The infinitive form of bouleverser is pronounced as “boo-luh-ver-say”.

Bouleverser is derived from the Old French word “bolverser”, which comes from the Latin word “volvere” meaning “to roll”. It was originally used in the sense of physically turning something upside down or rolling it over, but over time, its meaning extended to more figurative senses of upsetting or disturbing someone or something.

In everyday French, the Passé Simple tense is used less frequently in spoken language but is still found in written literature and formal texts. In the Passé Simple tense, bouleverser is conjugated as follows:

  • Je bouleversai (I overturned/upset)
  • Tu bouleversas (You overturned/upset)
  • Il/elle/on bouleversa (He/she/one overturned/upset)
  • Nous bouleversâmes (We overturned/upset)
  • Vous bouleversâtes (You overturned/upset)
  • Ils/elles bouleversèrent (They overturned/upset)

Examples of bouleverser in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations:

  1. L’annonce de la mort de son ami le bouleversa profondément.
    (The news of his friend’s death deeply upset him.)

  2. Les manifestations bouleversèrent la ville pendant des jours.
    (The protests overturned the city for days.)

  3. La découverte inattendue bouleversa complètement sa vie.
    (The unexpected discovery completely overturned his life.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je bouleversai Je bouleversai sa vie. I disrupted his/her life.
Tu bouleversas Tu bouleversas mes plans. You disrupted my plans.
Il bouleversa Il bouleversa la situation. He disrupted the situation.
Elle bouleversa Elle bouleversa ses émotions. She disrupted her emotions.
On bouleversa On bouleversa tout le monde. One disrupted everyone.
Nous bouleversâmes Nous bouleversâmes la routine. We disrupted the routine.
Vous bouleversâtes Vous bouleversâtes la réunion. You disrupted the meeting.
Ils bouleversèrent Ils bouleversèrent le marché. They disrupted the market.
Elles bouleversèrent Elles bouleversèrent leur plan. They (feminine) disrupted their plan.

Other Conjugations for Bouleverser.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bouleverser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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