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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb incomber

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The English translation of the French verb “incomber” is “to burden” or “to weigh down.” The infinitive form “incomber” is pronounced as “a(n)-kɔ̃-be.”

The verb “incomber” has its origins in the Latin word “incombrare,” which means “to obstruct” or “to encumber.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Passé Simple tense to describe a burden or responsibility that was imposed or weighed heavily on someone in the past.

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

  1. L’énorme dette incomba sur lui. (The enormous debt burdened him.)
  2. Les responsabilités incombèrent à l’équipe de direction. (The responsibilities weighed down on the management team.)
  3. L’urgence de la situation incomba à la police. (The urgency of the situation fell upon the police.)

These examples demonstrate how “incomber” is used to describe a burden or responsibility that affected someone in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
Je incombai J’incombai cette tâche. I was responsible for this task.
Tu incombai Tu incombai la décision. You were responsible for the decision.
Il incombai Il incombai cette responsabilité. He was responsible for this responsibility.
Elle incombai Elle incombai cette tâche. She was responsible for this task.
On incombai On incombai cette décision. One was responsible for this decision.
Nous incombâmes Nous incombâmes la responsabilité. We were responsible for the responsibility.
Vous incombâtes Vous incombâtes cette tâche. You were responsible for this task.
Ils incombèrent Ils incombèrent les conséquences. They were responsible for the consequences.
Elles incombèrent Elles incombèrent cette décision. They (feminine) were responsible for this decision.

Other Conjugations for Incomber.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb incomber

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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