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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bouter

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The English translation of the French verb “bouter” is “to push” or “to thrust”. The infinitive form “bouter” is pronounced as “boo-teh”.

The verb “bouter” originates from the Old French word “boter”, which means “to push” or “to strike”. It was commonly used in everyday French in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense and is mostly found in written texts.

Here are three simple examples of “bouter” in the Passé Simple tense and their English translations:

  1. Il bouta violemment la porte. (He pushed the door forcefully.)
  2. Elle le bouta hors de chez elle. (She thrust him out of her house.)
  3. Les soldats boutèrent l’ennemi hors de la ville. (The soldiers drove the enemy out of the city.)

In these examples, “bouter” is used to describe forceful actions of pushing or thrusting.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je boutai Je boutai le feu. I ignited the fire.
Tu boutas Tu boutas la chandelle. You lit the candle.
Il bouta Il bouta le navire. He set the ship on fire.
Elle bouta Elle bouta la cigarette. She lit the cigarette.
On bouta On bouta le foin. One set the hay on fire.
Nous boutâmes Nous boutâmes les bûches. We kindled the logs.
Vous boutâtes Vous boutâtes la mèche. You ignited the fuse.
Ils boutèrent Ils boutèrent les feux d’artifice. They set off the fireworks.
Elles boutèrent Elles boutèrent les bougies. They (feminine) lit the candles.

Other Conjugations for Bouter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bouter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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