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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb boycotter

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The English translation of the French verb “boycotter” is “to boycott.” The infinitive form of “boycotter” is pronounced as /bwah-koh-te/.

The term “boycotter” originated during the Irish Land War in the late 19th century. It is derived from the name of Captain Charles Boycott, an English land agent who faced a social and economic ostracism campaign by the local community in County Mayo, Ireland. The word “boycott” was then coined to describe this method of protest.

In everyday French, the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense of “boycotter” is less commonly used compared to other verb tenses. However, it may still appear in formal writing or literature. Here are three examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Les travailleurs boycottèrent l’entreprise en signe de protestation. (The workers boycotted the company as a sign of protest.)
  2. Les étudiants boycottèrent les examens pour exprimer leur mécontentement. (The students boycotted the exams to express their dissatisfaction.)
  3. La population locale boycottèrent les produits importés. (The local population boycotted the imported products.)

Please note that the usage of the Passé Simple tense is relatively rare in spoken French and is mainly reserved for formal or literary contexts.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je boycottai J’ai boycottai un produit. I boycotted a product.
Tu boycottas Tu boycottas la manifestation. You boycotted the protest.
Il boycotta Il boycotta l’événement. He boycotted the event.
Elle boycotta Elle boycotta la réunion. She boycotted the meeting.
On boycotta On boycotta le restaurant. One boycotted the restaurant.
Nous boycottâmes Nous boycottâmes la marque. We boycotted the brand.
Vous boycottâtes Vous boycottâtes le concert. You boycotted the concert.
Ils boycottèrent Ils boycottèrent le produit. They boycotted the product.
Elles boycottèrent Elles boycottèrent la compagnie. They (feminine) boycotted the company.

Other Conjugations for Boycotter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb boycotter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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