The simple past tense is often used in literary French to relate past or historical events. It is often used in reference to past events or narrations. In general, the simple past is not used in daily spoken language except in formal speech. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize this special tense, especially in writing.
Conjugation
To conjugate a verb in the simple past tense in French, we use the stem from the infinitive. We remove the final โ-er,โ โ-ir,โ or โ-re,โ and attach the conjugation suffix. The suffixes are the same for โ-irโ and โ-reโ verbs.
-er ending e.g., parler (to speak) | -ir ending e.g., finir (to finish) | -re ending e.g., vendre (to sell) | |
je | parlai | finis | vendis |
tu | parlas | finis | vendis |
il/elle/on | parla | finit | vendit |
nous | parlรขmes | finรฎmes | vendรฎmes |
vous | parlรขtes | finรฎtes | vendรฎtes |
ils/elles | parlรจrent | finirent | vendirent |
Irregular Verbs
The verbs โรชtreโ (to be) and โavoirโ (to have) are irregular in the simple past:
รชtre | avoir | |
je/jโ | fus | eus |
tu | fus | eus |
il/elle/on | fut | eut |
nous | fรปmes | eรปmes |
vous | fรปtes | eรปtes |
ils/elles | furent | eurent |
Other irregular verbs include the following:
je/jโ | tu | il/elle | nous | vous | ils/elles | |
boire to drink | bus | bus | but | bรปmes | bรปtes | burent |
conduire to drive | conduisis | conduisis | conduisit | conduisรฎmes | conduisรฎtes | conduisirent |
connaรฎtre to know | connus | connus | connut | connรปmes | connรปtes | connurent |
courir to run | courus | courus | courut | courรปmes | courรปtes | coururent |
couvrir to cover | couvris | couvris | couvrit | couvrรฎmes | couvrรฎtes | couvrirent |
craindre to fear | craignis | craignis | craignit | craignรฎmes | craignรฎtes | craignirent |
croire to believe | crus | crus | crut | crรปmes | crรปtes | crurent |
devoir must | dus | dus | dut | dรปmes | dรปtes | durent |
รฉcrire to write | รฉcrivis | รฉcrivis | รฉcrivit | รฉcrivรฎmes | รฉcrivรฎtes | รฉcrivirent |
รฉteindre to turn off | รฉteignis | รฉteignis | รฉteignit | รฉteignรฎmes | รฉteignรฎtes | รฉteignirent |
faire to do | fis | fis | fit | fรฎmes | fรฎtes | firent |
falloir to have to | – | – | fallut | – | – | – |
introduire to introduce | introdusis | introdusis | introdusit | introdusรฎmes | introdusรฎtes | introdusirent |
lire to read | lus | lus | lut | lรปmes | lรปtes | lurent |
mettre to put | mis | mis | mit | mรฎmes | mรฎtes | mirent |
mourir to die | mourus | mourus | mourut | mourรปmes | mourรปtes | moururent |
naรฎtre to be born | naquis | naquis | naquit | naquรฎmes | naquรฎtes | naquirent |
obtenir to obtain | obtins | obtins | obtint | obtรฎnmes | obtรฎntes | obtinrent |
offrir to offer | offris | offris | offrit | offrรฎmes | offrรฎtes | offrirent |
peindre to paint | peignis | peignis | peignit | peignรฎmes | peignรฎtes | peignirent |
plaire to please | plus | plus | plut | plรปmes | plรปtes | plurent |
pleuvoir to rain | – | – | plut | – | – | – |
pouvoir can | pus | pus | put | pรปmes | pรปtes | purent |
prendre to take | pris | pris | prit | prรฎmes | prรฎtes | prirent |
recevoir to receive | reรงus | reรงus | reรงut | reรงรปmes | reรงรปtes | reรงurent |
rire to laugh | ris | ris | rit | rรฎmes | rรฎtes | rirent |
savoir to know | sus | sus | sut | sรปmes | sรปtes | surent |
sourire to smile | souris | souris | sourit | sourรฎmes | sourรฎtes | sourirent |
tenir to hold | tins | tins | tint | tรฎnmes | tรฎntes | tinrent |
valoir to be worth | valus | valus | valut | valรปmes | valรปtes | valurent |
venir to come | vins | vins | vint | vรฎnmes | vรฎntes | vinrent |
vivre to live | vรฉcus | vรฉcus | vรฉcut | vรฉcรปmes | vรฉcรปtes | vรฉcurent |
vouloir to want | voulus | voulus | voulut | voulรปmes | voulรปtes | voulurent |
Examples
Let us look at some examples of the simple past tense in French:
La guerre se termina par une victoire nette. | The war ended with a clear victory. |
Cette invention eut un grand impact sur la vie des gens. | That invention had a great impact on peopleโs lives. |
Il remporta de nombreux prix pour ses recherches sur le sujet. | He won many awards for his research on the topic. |
Les รฉvรฉnements de cette annรฉe changรจrent notre mode de vie. | The events of that year changed our way of life. |
Il parla de ce quโil avait appris lors de sa derniรจre visite en Afrique. | He spoke about what he had learned in his last visit to Africa. |
Quiz: Simple Past Tense
Next: Pluperfect Indicative Tense
Other lessons in Level VI: