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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb hébéter

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The English translation of the French verb hébéter is “to dull” or “to stupefy”. The infinitive form, hébéter, is pronounced as “ay-bay-tay”.

The verb hébéter has its origins in the Latin word “hebes”, meaning blunt or dull. In everyday French, hébéter is most commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense to describe actions or events that occurred in the past and have been completed.

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

  1. Il hébéta son esprit avec de la drogue. (He dulled his mind with drugs.)
  2. Les nouvelles de la tragédie l’ont hébété pendant des jours. (The news of the tragedy stupefied him for days.)
  3. La monotonie de sa vie l’avait hébété. (The monotony of his life had dulled him.)

Please note that the Passé Simple tense is mostly used in formal or written French, while in spoken language, the Passé Composé or other past tenses are generally preferred.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je hébétai J’hébétai devant le spectacle. I was dumbfounded in front of the show.
Tu hébéta Tu hébéta devant la nouvelle. You were dumbfounded by the news.
Il hébétai Il hébétai devant la scène. He was dumbfounded by the scene.
Elle hébétai Elle hébétai devant la surprise. She was dumbfounded by the surprise.
On hébétai On hébétai devant le résultat. One was dumbfounded by the result.
Nous hébétâmes Nous hébétâmes devant l’événement. We were dumbfounded by the event.
Vous hébétâtes Vous hébétâtes devant le spectacle. You were dumbfounded in front of the show.
Ils hébétèrent Ils hébétèrent devant la performance. They were dumbfounded by the performance.
Elles hébétèrent Elles hébétèrent devant la nouvelle. They (feminine) were dumbfounded by the news.

Other Conjugations for Hébéter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb hébéter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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