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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bretailler

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The English translation of the French verb “bretailler” is “to haggle” or “to bargain”. The infinitive form “bretailler” is pronounced as “breh-tah-yay”.

The word “bretailler” has its origins in the old French language. It comes from the word “bretail” which means “to carry on a petty trade” or “to haggle”. In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe past actions or events. However, it is worth noting that the Passé Simple tense is primarily used in written French, particularly in literature or formal writing, and less frequently in spoken French.

Here are three examples of “bretailler” used in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Ils bretaillèrent ferocement pour obtenir une meilleure offre.
    (They haggled fiercely to get a better deal.)

  2. Elle bretailla avec le vendeur pour réduire le prix de la robe.
    (She bargained with the salesperson to lower the price of the dress.)

  3. Les deux parties bretaillèrent pendant des heures avant de conclure l’accord.
    (Both parties haggled for hours before reaching an agreement.)

Please note that while the Passé Simple tense is rarely used in spoken French, it is still important to be familiar with it for reading and understanding written French.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je bretaillai Je bretaillai pour obtenir une réduction. I haggled to get a discount.
Tu bretaillas Tu bretaillas pendant des heures. You haggled for hours.
Il bretailla Il bretailla avec le vendeur. He haggled with the seller.
Elle bretailla Elle bretailla sur le prix. She haggled over the price.
On bretailla On bretailla pour un meilleur prix. One haggled for a better price.
Nous bretaillâmes Nous bretaillâmes en vain. We haggled in vain.
Vous bretaillâtes Vous bretaillâtes avec le vendeur. You haggled with the seller.
Ils bretailèrent Ils bretailèrent pour obtenir une remise. They haggled to get a discount.
Elles bretailèrent Elles bretailèrent pendant des heures. They (feminine) haggled for hours.

Other Conjugations for Bretailler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bretailler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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