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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb freiner

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The English translation of the French verb “freiner” is “to brake” or “to slow down.” The infinitive form of “freiner” is pronounced as [fre-ne].

The word “freiner” comes from the Old French word “fraindre,” which means “to break” or “to crush.” It originated from the Latin word “frangere,” which has the same meaning. In everyday French, “freiner” is commonly used to refer to the action of applying the brakes or slowing down, especially while driving.

In the Passé Simple tense, which is used to describe completed actions in the past, “freiner” is conjugated as follows:

  • Je freinai (I braked/I slowed down)
  • Tu freinas (You braked/You slowed down)
  • Il/Elle/On freina (He/She/One braked/He/She/One slowed down)

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

  1. J’arrivai trop vite au feu rouge et je freinai brusquement. (I arrived too fast at the red light and I braked abruptly.)
  2. Elle perdit le contrôle de sa voiture et freina juste à temps pour éviter l’accident. (She lost control of her car and braked just in time to avoid the accident.)
  3. Nous freinâmes en voyant le piéton traverser la route. (We slowed down when we saw the pedestrian crossing the road.)

Note: The Passé Simple tense is mainly used in formal or written French, and you will rarely hear it in everyday spoken language.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je freinai J’ai freinai brusquement. I braked suddenly.
Tu freinas Tu freinas la voiture. You braked the car.
Il freina Il freina devant le feu rouge. He braked at the red light.
Elle freina Elle freina progressivement. She braked gradually.
On freina On freina pour éviter l’accident. One braked to avoid the accident.
Nous freinâmes Nous freinâmes à temps. We braked in time.
Vous freinâtes Vous freinâtes brutalement. You braked abruptly.
Ils freinèrent Ils freinèrent trop tard. They braked too late.
Elles freinèrent Elles freinèrent doucement. They (feminine) braked gently.

Other Conjugations for Freiner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb freiner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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