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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cligner

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The English translation of the French verb “cligner” is “to blink” or “to wink” in English. The infinitive form “cligner” is pronounced as “klee-nyey” in French.

The verb “cligner” comes from the Latin word “clinare,” meaning “to lean” or “to incline.” In everyday French, the verb “cligner” is most often used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense when narrating past events or in formal writing.

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

  1. Il cligna des yeux et sourit. (He blinked his eyes and smiled.)
  2. Elle cligna de l’œil pour lui faire signe. (She winked to signal him.)
  3. Ils clignèrent des paupières en signe de surprise. (They blinked their eyelids in a sign of surprise.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is mainly used in written French, such as literature or formal texts, and is less commonly used in spoken language or informal contexts.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je clignai J’ai clignai de l’œil. I blinked.
Tu clignas Tu clignas des yeux rapidement. You blinked quickly.
Il cligna Il cligna des paupières. He blinked.
Elle cligna Elle cligna des cils. She blinked.
On cligna On cligna des yeux. One blinked.
Nous clignâmes Nous clignâmes des yeux. We blinked.
Vous clignâtes Vous clignâtes des paupières. You blinked.
Ils clignèrent Ils clignèrent des cils. They blinked.
Elles clignèrent Elles clignèrent des yeux. They (feminine) blinked.

Other Conjugations for Cligner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cligner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cligner – 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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