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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bousculer

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The English translation of the French verb “bousculer” is “to jostle” or “to shove.” The infinitive form “bousculer” is pronounced as “boo-sku-leh.”

The word “bousculer” originated from the French word “bouscule,” which means “bump” or “shove.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense when referring to actions that occurred in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je bousculai mon ami dans la rue. (I jostled my friend in the street.)
  2. Il bouscula la foule pour atteindre le bus. (He shoved through the crowd to catch the bus.)
  3. Elle bouscula la chaise en se levant brusquement. (She knocked over the chair when she got up suddenly.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je bousculai J’ai bousculai la personne. I jostled the person.
Tu bousculas Tu bousculas le sac. You jostled the bag.
Il bouscula Il bouscula son adversaire. He jostled his opponent.
Elle bouscula Elle bouscula la chaise. She jostled the chair.
On bouscula On bouscula les gens. One jostled the people.
Nous bousculâmes Nous bousculâmes la foule. We jostled the crowd.
Vous bousculâtes Vous bousculâtes le vase. You jostled the vase.
Ils bousculèrent Ils bousculèrent les fans. They jostled the fans.
Elles bousculèrent Elles bousculèrent les valises. They (feminine) jostled the suitcases.

Other Conjugations for Bousculer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bousculer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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