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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débarboter

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The English translation of the French verb débarboter is “to waddle” or “to toddle”. The infinitive form débarboter is pronounced as “day-bar-boh-tay”.

Débarboter is derived from the French word “barbote” which means “to paddle” or “to splash”. It is often used in everyday French to describe the way a child or a person walks unsteadily, especially when learning to walk. In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, débarboter is used to talk about specific actions or events that occurred and were completed in the past.

Here are three examples of how débarboter is used in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il débarbota jusqu’à sa mère et lui offrit un dessin.
    (He waddled/toddled up to his mother and gave her a drawing.)

  2. Les enfants débarbotèrent joyeusement autour du jardin.
    (The children waddled/toddled happily around the garden.)

  3. Elle débarbota vers la porte et ouvrit avec difficulté.
    (She waddled/toddled towards the door and opened it with difficulty.)

These examples illustrate the use of débarboter in the Passé Simple tense to describe the action of waddling or toddling in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je débarbotai Je débarbotai dans la piscine. I splashed around in the pool.
Tu débarbotas Tu débarbotas dans la mer. You splashed around in the sea.
Il débarbota Il débarbota dans la rivière. He splashed around in the river.
Elle débarbota Elle débarbota dans la mare. She splashed around in the pond.
On débarbota On débarbota dans le lac. One splashed around in the lake.
Nous débarbotâmes Nous débarbotâmes dans la fontaine. We splashed around in the fountain.
Vous débarbotâtes Vous débarbotâtes dans le ruisseau. You splashed around in the stream.
Ils débarbotèrent Ils débarbotèrent dans la baignoire. They splashed around in the bathtub.
Elles débarbotèrent Elles débarbotèrent dans la mare. They (feminine) splashed around in the pond.

Other Conjugations for Débarboter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débarboter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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