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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb harponner

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The English translation of the French verb “harponner” is “to harpoon.” The infinitive form of “harponner” is pronounced as “ahr-pon-ay.”

The verb “harponner” derives from the noun “harpon,” which means “harpoon” in English. It originated from the Old French word “harpon,” which can be traced back to the Old High German word “harpho” and the Old Norse word “hǫrfr.” In everyday French, “harponner” is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense.

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

  1. Les pêcheurs harponnèrent un grand requin.
    English translation: The fishermen harpooned a big shark.

  2. Il harponna un baleineau pour l’étudier.
    English translation: He harpooned a whale calf to study it.

  3. Les chasseurs harponnèrent plusieurs poissons dans le lagon.
    English translation: The hunters harpooned several fish in the lagoon.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je harponnai J’harponnai le poisson. I harpooned the fish.
Tu harponnas Tu harponnas le requin. You harpooned the shark.
Il harponna Il harponna la baleine. He harpooned the whale.
Elle harponna Elle harponna le thon. She harpooned the tuna.
On harponna On harponna le dauphin. One harpooned the dolphin.
Nous harponnâmes Nous harponnâmes les poissons. We harpooned the fish.
Vous harponnâtes Vous harponnâtes les crabes. You harpooned the crabs.
Ils harponnèrent Ils harponnèrent les requins. They harpooned the sharks.
Elles harponnèrent Elles harponnèrent les raies. They (feminine) harpooned the rays.

Other Conjugations for Harponner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb harponner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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