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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bredouiller

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The English translation of the French verb “bredouiller” is “to mumble” or “to stutter”. The infinitive form, “bredouiller”, is pronounced as “bruh-doo-yay”.

The verb “bredouiller” originated from the Old French word “bredouillier”, which is derived from the Vulgar Latin word “brodulare”, meaning “to stammer”. It is most often used in everyday French to describe someone speaking in an unclear or hesitant manner.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “bredouiller” can be conjugated as follows:

  1. Je bredouillai (I mumbled/stuttered)
  2. Tu bredouillas (You mumbled/stuttered)
  3. Il/Elle bredouilla (He/She mumbled/stuttered)

Example sentences:

  1. Hier, il bredouilla quelques mots incompréhensibles. (Yesterday, he mumbled a few incomprehensible words.)
  2. Pendant la présentation, je bredouillai mon nom. (During the presentation, I stuttered my name.)
  3. La petite fille bredouilla devant la foule. (The little girl mumbled in front of the crowd.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is mainly used in formal or written French, while in spoken language, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je bredouillai Je bredouillai une excuse. I mumbled an excuse.
Tu bredouillas Tu bredouillas une réponse. You mumbled an answer.
Il bredouilla Il bredouilla son discours. He mumbled his speech.
Elle bredouilla Elle bredouilla quelques mots. She mumbled a few words.
On bredouilla On bredouilla une explication. One mumbled an explanation.
Nous bredouillâmes Nous bredouillâmes nos noms. We mumbled our names.
Vous bredouillâtes Vous bredouillâtes une question. You mumbled a question.
Ils bredouillèrent Ils bredouillèrent une excuse. They mumbled an excuse.
Elles bredouillèrent Elles bredouillèrent une réponse. They (feminine) mumbled an answer.

Other Conjugations for Bredouiller.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bredouiller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bredouiller – 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.

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