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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb butter

Get the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense conjugation of butter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb “butter” is “to spread.” The infinitive form, “beurrer,” is pronounced as “bu-ray.”

The language origin of “butter” traces back to the Latin word “butyrum,” which means “butter.” In everyday French, the Passé Simple tense (Simple Past) is used primarily in written literature, formal texts, or historical contexts. In spoken French, the Passé Composé tense is more commonly used to express past actions.

Here are three simple examples of “butter” conjugated in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’étalai le beurre sur la tartine. (I spread the butter on the slice of bread.)
  2. Tu beurras les moules pour éviter que les aliments collent. (You spread butter on the molds to prevent food from sticking.)
  3. Ils beurrèrent les crêpes avant de les servir. (They spread butter on the pancakes before serving them.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je beurrai J’beurrai la tartine. I buttered the toast.
Tu beurras Tu beurras les croissants. You buttered the croissants.
Il beurra Il beurra la poêle. He buttered the pan.
Elle beurra Elle beurra le pain. She buttered the bread.
On beurra On beurra la biscotte. One buttered the cracker.
Nous beurrâmes Nous beurrâmes les gaufres. We buttered the waffles.
Vous beurrâtes Vous beurrâtes les crêpes. You buttered the pancakes.
Ils beurrèrent Ils beurrèrent les toasts. They buttered the toasts.
Elles beurrèrent Elles beurrèrent les baguettes. They (feminine) buttered the baguettes.

Other Conjugations for Butter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the butter Passé Simple tense conjugation! 

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply