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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clayonner

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The English translation of the French verb clayonner is “to mark off with stakes.” The infinitive form of clayonner is pronounced as “klay-oh-nay.”

Clayonner is derived from the noun “clayon,” which refers to a stake or peg used to mark off an area. In everyday French, clayonner is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense, which is the literary past tense. However, it is not frequently used in spoken language.

Here are three simple examples of clayonner used in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Les agriculteurs clayonnèrent les champs pour délimiter les parcelles. (The farmers marked off the fields to delineate the plots.)
  2. Les ouvriers clayonnèrent le chantier avant de commencer les travaux. (The workers marked off the construction site before starting the work.)
  3. Le jardinier clayonna le terrain pour planter les fleurs. (The gardener marked off the area to plant the flowers.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is primarily used in written French, especially in literature, formal writing, or historical contexts. In spoken French, the Passé Composé or Imparfait tenses are more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je clayonnai J’ai clayonné la vigne. I trellised the vine.
Tu clayonnas Tu clayonnas les rosiers. You trellised the roses.
Il clayonna Il clayonna le mur. He trellised the wall.
Elle clayonna Elle clayonna les plantes. She trellised the plants.
On clayonna On clayonna les arbres. One trellised the trees.
Nous clayonnâmes Nous clayonnâmes les buissons. We trellised the bushes.
Vous clayonnâtes Vous clayonnâtes la vigne. You trellised the vine.
Ils clayonnèrent Ils clayonnèrent les framboisiers. They trellised the raspberry bushes.
Elles clayonnèrent Elles clayonnèrent les tomates. They (feminine) trellised the tomatoes.

Other Conjugations for Clayonner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clayonner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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