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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cousiner

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The English translation of the French verb “cousiner” is “to cousin.” The infinitive form of “cousiner” is pronounced as /koo-zi-ney/.

The word “cousiner” is derived from the French noun “cousin,” meaning cousin. The verb “cousiner” is commonly used in everyday French to refer to spending time or socializing with cousins. It implies engaging in activities or having a good time with one’s cousins, similar to the English verb “to hang out.”

Examples of “cousiner” in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. J’accompagnai mes cousins au parc et nous cousinâmes toute la journée.
    (I accompanied my cousins to the park, and we “cousined” all day.)
  2. Hier, je cousinai avec ma cousine à la plage.
    (Yesterday, I “cousined” with my cousin at the beach.)
  3. Les enfants cousinèrent ensemble pendant les vacances d’été.
    (The children “cousined” together during the summer vacation.)

English translations:

  1. I went with my cousins to the park, and we hung out all day.
  2. Yesterday, I spent time with my cousin at the beach.
  3. The children spent time together during the summer vacation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je cousinai Je cousinai avec ma cousine. I socialized with my cousin.
Tu cousinas Tu cousinas avec ton cousin. You socialized with your cousin.
Il cousina Il cousina avec sa cousine. He socialized with his cousin.
Elle cousina Elle cousina avec son cousin. She socialized with her cousin.
On cousina On cousina avec sa famille. One socialized with one’s family.
Nous cousinâmes Nous cousinâmes avec nos cousins. We socialized with our cousins.
Vous cousinâtes Vous cousinâtes avec vos cousins. You socialized with your cousins.
Ils cousinèrent Ils cousinèrent avec leurs cousines. They socialized with their cousins.
Elles cousinèrent Elles cousinèrent avec leurs cousins. They (feminine) socialized with their cousins.

Other Conjugations for Cousiner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cousiner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cousiner – 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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