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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bourriquer

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The English translation of the French verb “bourriquer” is “to bungle” or “to mess up.” The infinitive form “bourriquer” is pronounced as [bo-ree-kay].

The verb “bourriquer” has its roots in the French noun “bourricot,” which means “donkey.” It is believed that the verb is derived from the idea of a donkey making clumsy movements or mistakes. In everyday French, “bourriquer” is most often used in the passé simple tense, which is a literary tense used primarily in written French.

Here are three examples of “bourriquer” in the passé simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il bourriqua son discours et personne ne comprit ce qu’il voulait dire.
    (He bungled his speech, and no one understood what he meant.)

  2. Elle bourriqua sa recette et le gâteau était immangeable.
    (She messed up her recipe, and the cake was inedible.)

  3. Nous bourriquâmes notre présentation et le projet fut un échec.
    (We bungled our presentation, and the project was a failure.)

In these examples, “bourriquer” is used to describe situations where someone makes mistakes or messes something up.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je bourriquai Je bourriquai devant la foule. I stumbled in front of the crowd.
Tu bourriquas Tu bourriquas en montant les escaliers. You stumbled while climbing the stairs.
Il bourriqua Il bourriqua dans la rue. He stumbled in the street.
Elle bourriqua Elle bourriqua en descendant l’escalier. She stumbled while going down the stairs.
On bourriqua On bourriqua en courant. One stumbled while running.
Nous bourriquâmes Nous bourriquâmes sur le chemin. We stumbled on the path.
Vous bourriquâtes Vous bourriquâtes dans la salle. You stumbled in the room.
Ils bourriquèrent Ils bourriquèrent dans le jardin. They stumbled in the garden.
Elles bourriquèrent Elles bourriquèrent sur la route. They (feminine) stumbled on the road.

Other Conjugations for Bourriquer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bourriquer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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