Lessons · Vocabulary · Grammar · Appendices · Texts
Dialogue
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Grammar · Interrogative pronouns
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Grammar · Simple past of regular verbs
editUnlike in English, there is a literary past tense in French, used when writing formally. This past tense is the passé simple . It is relatively simple to predict when to use this tense: for every occurrence of the passé composé in conversational French, one simply uses the passé simple in literary French. Note that the passé simple is not a composed tense, and therefore does not have an auxiliary verb.
Formation
editTo conjugate in this tense, find the stem and appends the appropriate ending.
Subject | Ending | Conjugated verb | English | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Je | -ai | Je dansai. | I danced. | ||
Tu | -as | Tu dansas. | You danced. | ||
Il | -a | Il dansa. | He danced. | ||
Nous | -âmes | Nous dansâmes. | We danced | ||
Vous | -âtes | Vous dansâtes. | You danced. | ||
Ils | -èrent | Ils dansèrent. | They danced. |
Regular stems
editThe following verbs are irregular in the present indicative, but are regular in their passé simple stems.
Infinitive | Stem | Je … |
---|---|---|
-ir verbs | ||
dormir | dorm | dormis |
partir | part | partis |
sentir | sent | sentis |
servir | serv | servis |
sortir | sort | sortis |
-rir Verbs | ||
couvrir | couvr | couvris |
découvrir | découvr | découvris |
offrir | offr | offris |
ouvrir | ouvr | ouvris |
souffrir | souffr | souffris |
-re Verbs | ||
combattre | combatt | combattis |
rompre | romp | rompis |
suivre | suiv | suivis |
Vocabulary · French history
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Text · French history
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Text
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Exercises
editExerciseSimple past
- Complétez les phrases suivantes en conjuguant les verbes au passé simple:
- J'_____ (entrer) dans le tour.
- Tout d'un coup, mon ami ____ (tomber).
- Nous _________ (monter) l'éscalier.
- Je _____ (dire) aux professeurs qu'il _______ (regarder) la télé.
- Ils t'_______ (offrir) le plat, et tu le _______ (laisser) tomber.
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French : Lessons · Vocabulary · Grammar · Appendices · Texts