French 6.2. Simple Past Tense

Level I 1. Alphabet & Pronunciation 1.1. Vowels 1.2. Consonants 1.3. Silent Final Consonants 1.4. Liaison 1.5. Syllable Stress 2. Similarities to English 2.1. Negation 2.2. Punctuation & Written Accents 3. Gender & Plural 5. Subject Personal Pronouns 4. Cardinal Numbers 6. Present Indicative Tense I 7. The Articles 8. Interrogative Pronouns & Adjectives Level II 1. Prepositions 2. Present Indicative Tense II – Irregular Verbs 3. Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns 4. Demonstrative Pronouns & Adjectives 5. Object Personal Pronouns 6. Relative Pronouns 7. Ordinal Numbers I 8. Basic Phrases 9. Times & Seasons Level III 1. Compound Past 2. The Verb “To Know” 3. Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns 4. Conjunctions 5. Simple Future Tense 6. Telling Time & Describing Weather 7. Present Participle & Gerund 8. Adverbs 8.1. Other Adverbs & Adverbial Phrases 9. Directions Level IV 1. Degrees of Comparison: Comparatives & Superlatives 2. Partitives 3. Reflexive Pronouns & Verbs 4. Expressions Using “Avoir” & “Faire” 5. Present Subjunctive Tense I 6. Impersonal Verbs & Expressions 7. Future Perfect Tense 8. Interjections Level V 1. The Pronouns โ€œYโ€ & โ€œEnโ€ 2. Imperative Mood & Giving Commands 3. The Conditional Tenses 4. Present Subjunctive Tense II 5. Perfect Subjunctive Tense 6. Imperfect Indicative Tense 7. Time Expressions: โ€œEn train de,โ€ โ€œVenir de,โ€ โ€œDepuis,โ€ & โ€œร‡a faitโ€ Level VI 1. The Past Infinitive 2. Simple Past Tense 3. Pluperfect Indicative Tense 4. Idiomatic Pronominal Verbs 5. Prepositional Verbs 6. Passive Voice 7. Diminutives & Augmentatives
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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€œ-er,โ€ โ€œ-ir,โ€ or โ€œ-re,โ€ and attach the conjugation suffix. The suffixes are the same for โ€œ-irโ€ and โ€œ-reโ€ verbs.

 -er ending
e.g., parler (to speak)
-ir ending
e.g., finir (to finish)
-re ending
e.g., vendre (to sell)
jeparlaifinisvendis
tuparlasfinisvendis
il/elle/onparlafinitvendit
nousparlรขmesfinรฎmesvendรฎmes
vousparlรขtesfinรฎtesvendรฎtes
ils/ellesparlรจrentfinirentvendirent

Irregular Verbs

The verbs โ€œรชtreโ€ (to be) and โ€œavoirโ€ (to have) are irregular in the simple past:

 รชtreavoir
je/jโ€™fuseus
tufuseus
il/elle/onfuteut
nousfรปmeseรปmes
vousfรปteseรปtes
ils/ellesfurenteurent

Other irregular verbs include the following:

 je/jโ€™tuil/ellenous vousils/elles
boire
to drink
busbusbutbรปmesbรปtesburent
conduire
to drive
conduisisconduisisconduisitconduisรฎmesconduisรฎtesconduisirent
connaรฎtre
to know
connusconnusconnutconnรปmesconnรปtesconnurent
courir
to run
couruscouruscourutcourรปmescourรปtescoururent
couvrir
to cover
couvriscouvriscouvritcouvrรฎmescouvrรฎtescouvrirent
craindre
to fear
craigniscraigniscraignitcraignรฎmescraignรฎtescraignirent
croire
to believe
cruscruscrutcrรปmescrรปtescrurent
devoir
must
dusdusdutdรปmesdรปtesdurent
รฉcrire
to write
รฉcrivisรฉcrivisรฉcrivitรฉcrivรฎmesรฉcrivรฎtesรฉcrivirent
รฉteindre
to turn off
รฉteignisรฉteignisรฉteignitรฉteignรฎmesรฉteignรฎtesรฉteignirent
faire
to do
fisfisfitfรฎmesfรฎtesfirent
falloir
to have to
fallut
introduire
to introduce
introdusisintrodusisintrodusitintrodusรฎmesintrodusรฎtesintrodusirent
lire
to read
lusluslutlรปmeslรปteslurent
mettre
to put
mismismitmรฎmesmรฎtesmirent
mourir
to die
mourusmourusmourutmourรปmesmourรปtesmoururent
naรฎtre
to be born
naquisnaquisnaquitnaquรฎmesnaquรฎtesnaquirent
obtenir
to obtain
obtinsobtinsobtintobtรฎnmesobtรฎntesobtinrent
offrir
to offer
offrisoffrisoffritoffrรฎmesoffrรฎtesoffrirent
peindre
to paint
peignispeignispeignitpeignรฎmespeignรฎtespeignirent
plaire
to please
plusplusplutplรปmesplรปtesplurent
pleuvoir
to rain
plut
pouvoir
can
puspusputpรปmespรปtespurent
prendre
to take
prisprispritprรฎmesprรฎtesprirent
recevoir
to receive
reรงusreรงusreรงutreรงรปmesreรงรปtesreรงurent
rire
to laugh
risrisritrรฎmesrรฎtesrirent
savoir
to know
sussussutsรปmessรปtessurent
sourire
to smile
sourissourissouritsourรฎmessourรฎtessourirent
tenir
to hold
tinstinstinttรฎnmestรฎntestinrent
valoir
to be worth
valusvalusvalutvalรปmesvalรปtesvalurent
venir
to come
vinsvinsvintvรฎnmesvรฎntesvinrent
vivre
to live
vรฉcusvรฉcusvรฉcutvรฉcรปmesvรฉcรปtesvรฉcurent
vouloir
to want
voulusvoulusvoulutvoulรปmesvoulรปtesvoulurent

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 peopleโ€™s 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 quโ€™il 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

French: Simple Past Tense

1 / 5

1. Conjugate the French verb "avoir" (to have) in the simple past tense.

je
tu
il/elle
nous
vous
ils/elles

 

Accented letters (if needed):

รง รฉ ร  รจ รน รข รช
รฎ รด รป รซ รฏ รผ

2 / 5

2. Conjugate the French verb "รชtre" (to be) in the simple past tense.

je
tu
il/elle
nous
vous
ils/elles

 

Accented letters (if needed):

รง รฉ ร  รจ รน รข รช
รฎ รด รป รซ รฏ รผ

3 / 5

3. Conjugate the French verb "venir" (to come) in the simple past tense.

je
tu
il/elle
nous
vous
ils/elles

 

Accented letters (if needed):

รง รฉ ร  รจ รน รข รช
รฎ รด รป รซ รฏ รผ

4 / 5

4. Use theย Past Absolute Tense:

The events of that yearย changed our way of life.

(to change = changer)

FR: Les รฉvรฉnements de cette annรฉe notre mode de vie.

 

Accented letters (if needed):

รง รฉ ร  รจ รน รข รช
รฎ รด รป รซ รฏ รผ

5 / 5

5. Use the Past Absolute Tense:

Heย won manyย awardsย for his researchย in this field.

(to win or earn = remporter)

FR: Il de nombreux prix pour ses recherches sur le sujet.

 

Accented letters (if needed):

รง รฉ ร  รจ รน รข รช
รฎ รด รป รซ รฏ รผ

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