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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cambrioler

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The English translation of the French verb “cambrioler” is “to burgle” or “to break into.” The infinitive form, “cambrioler,” is pronounced as kɑ̃.bʁi.ɔ.le.

The word “cambrioler” originated from the noun “cambriolage,” which means burglary. It is believed to come from the Provençal dialect “cambrilhar,” which referred to the act of breaking into a house or climbing over a wall. Today, “cambrioler” is commonly used in everyday French to describe the action of breaking into someone’s property with the intent to steal.

In the Passé Simple tense, which is primarily used in literature and formal writing, “cambrioler” is conjugated as follows:

  • Je cambriolai: I burgled
  • Tu cambriolas: You (informal) burgled
  • Il/elle cambriola: He/she burgled

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

  1. Les cambrioleurs cambriolèrent la bijouterie la nuit dernière.
    (The burglars burgled the jewelry store last night.)

  2. Elle cambriola la maison de son voisin pendant qu’il était en vacances.
    (She burgled her neighbor’s house while he was on vacation.)

  3. Nous cambriolâmes plusieurs maisons avant d’être arrêtés.
    (We burgled several houses before being caught.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cambriolai J’ai cambriolé la banque. I burglarized the bank.
Tu cambriolas Tu cambriolas la maison. You burglarized the house.
Il cambriola Il cambriola le magasin. He burglarized the store.
Elle cambriola Elle cambriola l’appartement. She burglarized the apartment.
On cambriola On cambriola la bijouterie. One burglarized the jewelry store.
Nous cambriolâmes Nous cambriolâmes la villa. We burglarized the villa.
Vous cambriolâtes Vous cambriolâtes le bureau. You burglarized the office.
Ils cambriolèrent Ils cambriolèrent le coffre-fort. They burglarized the safe.
Elles cambriolèrent Elles cambriolèrent la boutique. They (feminine) burglarized the shop.

Other Conjugations for Cambrioler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cambrioler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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