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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gêner

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The English translation of the French verb “gêner” is “to bother” or “to disturb.” The infinitive form “gêner” is pronounced as [ɡe.ne].

The word “gêner” comes from the Latin word “genāre,” which means “to give birth to.” In everyday French, “gêner” is commonly used to express the idea of causing inconvenience, discomfort, or disturbance to someone or something.

In the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, “gêner” is conjugated as follows:

  • Je gênai: I bothered/disturbed
  • Tu gênas: You bothered/disturbed
  • Il/elle gêna: He/she bothered/disturbed

Here are three simple examples of the verb “gêner” in the Passé Simple tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Je gênai mon ami en lui posant trop de questions.
    (I bothered my friend by asking him too many questions.)

  2. Tu gênas le professeur en arrivant en retard.
    (You disturbed the teacher by arriving late.)

  3. Il gêna le chien en lui marchant accidentellement sur la queue.
    (He bothered the dog by accidentally stepping on its tail.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je gênai Je gênai mes parents. I bothered my parents.
Tu gênas Tu gênas le professeur. You bothered the teacher.
Il gêna Il gêna ses camarades. He bothered his classmates.
Elle gêna Elle gêna ses voisins. She bothered her neighbors.
On gêna On gêna les passagers. One bothered the passengers.
Nous gênâmes Nous gênâmes le conducteur. We bothered the driver.
Vous gênâtes Vous gênâtes les invités. You bothered the guests.
Ils gênèrent Ils gênèrent la circulation. They bothered the traffic.
Elles gênèrent Elles gênèrent les touristes. They (feminine) bothered the tourists.

Other Conjugations for Gêner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gêner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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