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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb importuner

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The English translation of the French verb “importuner” is “to bother” or “to annoy.” The infinitive form is pronounced as [ɛ̃.pɔʁ.ty.ne].

The verb “importuner” comes from the Latin word “importunus,” which means “inappropriate” or “troublesome.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple (Simple Past) tense, which is mainly a literary tense not often used in spoken language.

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

  1. Il importuna ses voisins avec sa musique forte. (He bothered his neighbors with his loud music.)
  2. Elle importuna tout le monde avec ses questions incessantes. (She annoyed everyone with her constant questions.)
  3. Les enfants importunèrent leurs parents pendant tout le trajet. (The children bothered their parents throughout the journey.)

Please note that while the Passé Simple tense is used in more formal or literary writing, in everyday spoken French, the passé composé (compound past tense) is more commonly used to express past actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je importunai J’importunai mon voisin. I bothered my neighbor.
Tu importunas Tu importunas tes amis. You bothered your friends.
Il importuna Il importuna sa famille. He bothered his family.
Elle importuna Elle importuna son collègue. She bothered her colleague.
On importuna On importuna tout le monde. One bothered everyone.
Nous importunâmes Nous importunâmes les voisins. We bothered the neighbors.
Vous importunâtes Vous importunâtes le professeur. You bothered the teacher.
Ils importunèrent Ils importunèrent les passagers. They bothered the passengers.
Elles importunèrent Elles importunèrent les clients. They (feminine) bothered the clients.

Other Conjugations for Importuner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb importuner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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