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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb capoter

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The English translation of the French verb “capoter” is “to flip out” or “to go crazy.” The infinitive form “capoter” is pronounced as “ka-poh-teh.”

The verb “capoter” originates from the slang word “capot,” meaning “hood” or “bonnet” in French. In everyday French, “capoter” is often used in the Passé Simple tense to express a sudden or extreme reaction to a situation, similar to “losing it” or “freaking out” in English.

Here are three examples of the usage of “capoter” in the Passé Simple tense with their English translations:

  1. Je capotai lorsqu’il a annoncé la mauvaise nouvelle.
    (I flipped out when he announced the bad news.)

  2. Elle capota en voyant l’état de sa voiture après l’accident.
    (She went crazy when she saw the condition of her car after the accident.)

  3. Les supporters ont capoté de joie lorsque leur équipe a marqué le but gagnant.
    (The fans went wild with joy when their team scored the winning goal.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je capotai J’ai capotai mon projet. I failed my project.
Tu capotas Tu capotas ta voiture. You crashed your car.
Il capota Il capota la bouteille. He knocked over the bottle.
Elle capota Elle capota son entreprise. She ruined her business.
On capota On capota le plan. One messed up the plan.
Nous capotâmes Nous capotâmes notre examen. We failed our exam.
Vous capotâtes Vous capotâtes le contrat. You ruined the contract.
Ils capotèrent Ils capotèrent le projet. They failed the project.
Elles capotèrent Elles capotèrent la soirée. They (feminine) ruined the evening.

Other Conjugations for Capoter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb capoter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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