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Verb conjugation

bistouiller

to drink (alcohol); to mix, stir

Usage

A Nord/Picardy dialect word for mixing a rough, improvised drink — most specifically for spiking coffee with alcohol (usually genièvre), producing what's known regionally as bistouille. It carries a strong regional, working-class flavor.

Examples
  • Les mineurs bistouillaient leur café avant de descendre au fond.The miners spiked their coffee with liquor before heading down the mine.
  • On bistouille encore le café dans certains estaminets du Nord.Coffee is still spiked with liquor in some cafés in the Nord region.
  • Il a bistouillé son café pour se réchauffer.He spiked his coffee to warm himself up.
Common mistake

It's tied to a specific regional custom (spiking coffee, historically to fortify miners and workers before their shift) — using it outside that Nord/Picardy context can sound out of place.

In real life
  • expression la bistouilleA traditional Nord-Pas-de-Calais drink (coffee spiked with genièvre) historically drunk by miners and workers before their shift, still associated today with the region's cafés and estaminets.

Simple tenses

Present

jebistouille
tubistouilles
il/ellebistouille
nousbistouillons
vousbistouillez
ils/ellesbistouillent

Imperfect

jebistouillais
tubistouillais
il/ellebistouillait
nousbistouillions
vousbistouilliez
ils/ellesbistouillaient

Past historic (passé simple)

jebistouillai
tubistouillas
il/ellebistouilla
nousbistouillâmes
vousbistouillâtes
ils/ellesbistouillèrent

Future

jebistouillerai
tubistouilleras
il/ellebistouillera
nousbistouillerons
vousbistouillerez
ils/ellesbistouilleront

Conditional

jebistouillerais
tubistouillerais
il/ellebistouillerait
nousbistouillerions
vousbistouilleriez
ils/ellesbistouilleraient

Subjunctive

jebistouille
tubistouilles
il/ellebistouille
nousbistouillions
vousbistouilliez
ils/ellesbistouillent

Subjunctive (imperfect)

jebistouillasse
tubistouillasses
il/ellebistouillât
nousbistouillassions
vousbistouillassiez
ils/ellesbistouillassent

Imperative

tubistouille
nousbistouillons
vousbistouillez

Compound tenses

Passé composé

jeai bistouillé
tuas bistouillé
il/ellea bistouillé
nousavons bistouillé
vousavez bistouillé
ils/ellesont bistouillé

Plus-que-parfait

jeavais bistouillé
tuavais bistouillé
il/elleavait bistouillé
nousavions bistouillé
vousaviez bistouillé
ils/ellesavaient bistouillé

Passé antérieur

jeeus bistouillé
tueus bistouillé
il/elleeut bistouillé
nouseûmes bistouillé
vouseûtes bistouillé
ils/elleseurent bistouillé

Futur antérieur

jeaurai bistouillé
tuauras bistouillé
il/elleaura bistouillé
nousaurons bistouillé
vousaurez bistouillé
ils/ellesauront bistouillé

Conditionnel passé

jeaurais bistouillé
tuaurais bistouillé
il/elleaurait bistouillé
nousaurions bistouillé
vousauriez bistouillé
ils/ellesauraient bistouillé

Subjonctif passé

jeaie bistouillé
tuaies bistouillé
il/elleait bistouillé
nousayons bistouillé
vousayez bistouillé
ils/ellesaient bistouillé

Subjonctif plus-que-parfait

jeeusse bistouillé
tueusses bistouillé
il/elleeût bistouillé
nouseussions bistouillé
vouseussiez bistouillé
ils/elleseussent bistouillé

Impératif passé

tuaie bistouillé
nousayons bistouillé
vousayez bistouillé

Other

Present participle

bistouillant

Past participle

bistouillé

Infinitive

bistouiller

Want to practice? Try a conjugation exercise.

Frequently asked questions

What does "bistouiller" mean?

"bistouiller" means "to drink (alcohol); to mix, stir".

How do you conjugate "bistouiller" in the present tense?

The present of "bistouiller" is: je bistouille, tu bistouilles, il/elle bistouille, nous bistouillons, vous bistouillez, ils/elles bistouillent.

What is the Passé composé of "bistouiller"?

The passé composé of "bistouiller" is: je ai bistouillé, tu as bistouillé, il/elle a bistouillé, nous avons bistouillé, vous avez bistouillé, ils/elles ont bistouillé.

What is the Imperative of "bistouiller"?

The imperative of "bistouiller" is: tu bistouille, nous bistouillons, vous bistouillez.