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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débâillonner

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The English translation of the French verb débâillonner is “to ungag” or “to remove a gag”. The pronunciation of the infinitive form débâillonner is “day-bah-yon-ay”.

Débâillonner originates from the combination of the prefix “dé-” (meaning “un-” or “dis-“) and the noun “bâillon” (meaning “gag”). It is most often used in everyday French in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe actions that occurred and were completed in the past. However, it’s important to note that the Passé Simple tense is primarily used in written French and is less common in spoken language.

Examples of débâillonner in the Passé Simple tense:

  1. Les otages débâillonnèrent leurs bouches et commencèrent à crier. (The hostages ungagged their mouths and started to scream.)
  2. Il débâillonna la victime pour lui permettre de parler. (He ungagged the victim to allow them to speak.)
  3. Elle débâillonna le prisonnier avec précaution. (She carefully removed the gag from the prisoner.)

English translations:

  1. The hostages ungagged their mouths and started to scream.
  2. He ungagged the victim to allow them to speak.
  3. She carefully removed the gag from the prisoner.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je débâillonnai J’ai débâillonnai le prisonnier. I ungagged the prisoner.
Tu débâillonnas Tu débâillonnas le chien. You ungagged the dog.
Il débâillonna Il débâillonna le captif. He ungagged the captive.
Elle débâillonna Elle débâillonna la victime. She ungagged the victim.
On débâillonna On débâillonna le suspect. One ungagged the suspect.
Nous débâillonnâmes Nous débâillonnâmes les otages. We ungagged the hostages.
Vous débâillonnâtes Vous débâillonnâtes le prisonnier. You ungagged the prisoner.
Ils débâillonnèrent Ils débâillonnèrent le criminel. They ungagged the criminal.
Elles débâillonnèrent Elles débâillonnèrent le chien. They (feminine) ungagged the dog.

Other Conjugations for Débâillonner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâillonner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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