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

Introduction to the verb charbonner

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The English translation of the French verb “charbonner” is “to charcoal” or “to produce charcoal.” The infinitive form “charbonner” is pronounced as “shar-boh-nay.”

The verb “charbonner” is derived from the French noun “charbon,” meaning “charcoal.” It is primarily used in everyday French to refer to the process of producing charcoal by burning wood.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “charbonner” is less commonly used in everyday French as it has been largely replaced by the compound past tense (Passé Composé). However, here are three simple examples of its usage in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Nous charbonnâmes toute la nuit.
    (We charcoaled all night.)
  2. Tu charbonnas le bois pour le barbecue.
    (You charcoaled the wood for the barbecue.)
  3. Ils charbonnèrent les branches sèches.
    (They charcoaled the dry branches.)

Note: The English translations provided are literal and might sound unusual in English.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je charbonnai J’ai charbonné toute la nuit. I burned coal all night.
Tu charbonnas Tu charbonnas la cheminée. You burned coal in the fireplace.
Il charbonna Il charbonna son barbecue. He burned coal in his barbecue.
Elle charbonna Elle charbonna le poêle à bois. She burned coal in the wood stove.
On charbonna On charbonna la locomotive. One burned coal in the locomotive.
Nous charbonnâmes Nous charbonnâmes le four. We burned coal in the oven.
Vous charbonnâtes Vous charbonnâtes la chaudière. You burned coal in the boiler.
Ils charbonnèrent Ils charbonnèrent la cheminée. They burned coal in the chimney.
Elles charbonnèrent Elles charbonnèrent le poêle. They (feminine) burned coal in the stove.

Other Conjugations for Charbonner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb charbonner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Charbonner – 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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