Learning another language is like constructing a strong and beautiful structure. Imagine developing a replica of a famous landmark with the popular interlocking bricks that everyone loves to step on. You could have an entire tub of bricks, but without the detailed instructions, your creation may be more “creative” than the sophisticated replica it was intended to be. If the bricks are the vocabulary words in this analogy, French verb tenses and grammar are the instructions.
Knowing French verb conjugation can unlock many forms of communication, but not every tense is meant for conversation. The passé simple, for example, is a verb tense that you’ll probably only encounter when you read. Since reading is a cornerstone of learning a language through immersion, recognizing this tense and when it is used can open the door to cultural and linguistic understanding that will support every aspect of your language learning.
It’s common to hear that the passé simple, also sometimes known as the historic past or literary past, isn’t necessary to learn because we don’t use it in speaking, but we don’t want to give up on the wealth of resources including:
- historical accounts and biographies
- fairy tales
- legends and myths
- newspaper headlines and articles
- classic novels
- poetry
Learning through reading is part of the foundation of Rosetta Stone’s natural language acquisition method. Learning through engaging stories can help you flow through passages, encountering sophisticated French verbs through Dynamic Immersion that goes beyond memorization.
What is the passé simple in French?
The passé simple is a French past tense used in literature and historical narratives to express a completed action or event. It’s a verb tense that uses only one word, which is why it is called “simple,” whereas the passé composé is a compound tense that always requires two words. You’ll encounter this tense in formal writing, news articles, literature, and even children’s stories.
Even advanced students of French often skip over the passé simple in their language courses, since it is not used in everyday speech or conversation where the passé composé is used instead. It may have limited usage, but Because of its limited usage, students may not focus their attention on this tense, but the passé simple can help you:
- read and comprehend a text more fluently
- acquire a more sophisticated vocabulary
- gain insight into events and characters of cultural significance
- enjoy familiar stories and books
- deepen your understanding of when to use the passé composé vs imparfait in everyday communication
>>Say it like a native speaker with TruAccent learning from Rosetta Stone.
When should you use the passé simple in French?
If you know the uses of the passé composé, it’s encouraging to know that the uses are the same for the passé simple.
- what happened
- what did someone do
- who said something or responded
- how long something took before it was finished
- what took place to interrupt the status quo
- what has already occurred
Because the passé simple is used in more formal writing, and the passé composé is used in less formal writing as well as everyday communication, you generally will not see these two tenses used together. However, you will notice that it is used in distinct situations from the imparfait, the French descriptive past.
Whether formal or informal, the imparfait is used to express the setting, such as:
- where the events took place
- what people/things were like
- what someone wanted, was able to do, or had
- how someone was feeling
- what usually happened
- habitual actions
- what the weather was like
- what was going on
It’s important to note that almost any verb could be used in any of the past tenses, depending on the situation and the text type.
| passé simple | passé composé | imparfait |
| Il fut heureux. | Il a été heureux. | Il était heureux. |
| Used in a historical narrative to summarize a person’s generally happy life. | Used in everyday communication to summarize a person’s generally happy life. | Used to provide background information about the person’s happiness when an event took place. |
The passé simple is also used in some set expressions in French, especially with some common verbs, so you may encounter one or two examples “out in the wild.” That said, it is still rare to hear them in speech today.
- Ce fut un plaisir. = It was a pleasure.
- Il fut un temps. = There was a time.
Forming the passé simple in French with regular verbs
So, is it simple or “pas si simple” (not so simple)? This might be one of the easier tenses to deal with since learning the forms is a matter of recognizing them in context—unless you’re going to be a historical writer or journalist. Recognizing the patterns will help you read fluently and maintain the thread of the completed events without tripping over these less familiar forms.
-ER verbs
The passé simple uses the stem of the verb without the -ER and the following endings:
regular -ER verbs (passé simple)
| Je I | -ai | Nous We | -âmes |
| Tu You, informal | -as | Vous You, formal/plural | -âtes |
| Il, Elle He, She | -a | Ils, Elles They | -èrent |
In cases where pronunciation must be preserved, verbs with -CER or -GER endings will have a slight spelling change:
- changer: Il changea
- commencer : Elle commença
-IR and -RE verbs
The passé simple uses the stem of the verb without the -IR or -RE and the following endings:
regular -IR or -RE verbs (passé simple)
| Je/J’ I | -is | Nous We | -îmes |
| Tu You, informal | -is | Vous You, formal/plural | -îtes |
| Il, Elle He, She | -it | Ils, Elles They | -irent |
Forming the passé simple in French with irregular verbs
As their name suggests, many irregular verbs don’t follow simple patterns.
Irregular verbs with regular endings
You will recognize a few verbs that use an irregular stem but the familiar -IR/-RE endings.
| infinitive | passé simple stem |
| s’asseoir | s’ass- |
| conduire | conduis- |
| dire | d- |
| écrire | écriv- |
| faire | f- |
| joindre | joign- |
| mettre | m- |
| naître | naqu- |
| peindre | peign- |
| prendre | pr- |
| rire | r- |
| voir | v- |
Past participles ending in “u”
If a verb’s past participle ends in -u, the “u” is replaced by these endings in the passé simple:
| Je I | -us | Nous We | -ûmes |
| Tu You, informal | -us | Vous You, formal/plural | -ûtes |
| Il, Elle He, She | -ut | Ils, Elles They | -urent |
Several common French verbs that will use this pattern include:
| infinitive | past participle |
| avoir | eu |
| boire | bu |
| connaître | connu |
| courir | couru |
| devoir | dû *eliminates the circonflexe (the diacritical mark over the u) in most forms. |
| lire | lu |
| pleuvoir | plu |
| pouvoir | pu |
| savoir | su |
| vivre | vécu |
| vouloir | voulu |
Irregular verbs
These four common verbs are typically found in historical narratives and journalistic writing, but they do not follow the same patterns as any other group of verbs. Recognize them individually for greater comprehension.
Être
| j’eus | I was | nous eûmes | We were |
| tu eus | You were (singular) | vous eûtes | You were (plural) |
| il/elle eut | He/she/it was | ils/elles eurent | They were |
Mourir
| je mourus | I died | nous mourûmes | We died |
| tu mourus | You died (singular) | vous mourûtes | You died (plural) |
| il/elle mourut | He/she/it died | ils/elles moururent | They died |
Tenir
| je tins | I held | nous tînmes | We held |
| tu tins | You held (singular) | vous tîntes | You held (plural) |
| il/elle tint | He/she/it held | ils/elles tinrent | They held |
Venir
| je vins | I came | nous vînmes | We came |
| tu vins | You came (singular) | vous vîntes | You came (plural) |
| il/elle vint | He/she/it came | ils/elles vinrent | They came |
>> Here’s a deep dive into être in all the tenses, and yes, it’s always irregular!
Passé simple examples from literature
French literature is a treasure trove of new words and structures, not to mention a whole new world for those who love reading! Even if you’re not up for devouring an entire novel, it’s easy to encounter the passé simple in action. Many children’s stories are full of narration using this tense. Now that you know it, you can follow along with the events, tone, and nuance of each story.
Test your comprehension with the following excerpts of stories you may already be familiar with:
“Il me fallut longtemps pour comprendre d’où il venait. Le petit prince, qui me posait beaucoup de questions, ne semblait jamais entendre les miennes. Ce sont des mots prononcés par hasard qui, peu à peu, m’ont tout révélé. Ainsi, quand il aperçut pour la première fois mon avion (je ne dessinerai pas mon avion, c’est un dessin beaucoup trop compliqué pour moi) il me demanda:..”
-Excerpt from Le Petit Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“Jean Valjean écouta. Aucun bruit.
Il poussa la porte. Il la poussa du bout du doigt, légèrement, avec cette douceur furtive et inquiète d’un chat qui veut entrer.
La porte céda à la pression et fit un mouvement imperceptible et silencieux qui élargit un peu l’ouverture. Il attendit un moment, puis poussa la porte une seconde fois, plus hardiment.”
-Excerpt from Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo
“Qui est là ? demanda une voix cassée.
C’est votre petite-fille, Chaperon Rouge, qui vous apporte une galette et un pot de beurre que ma mère vous envoie, répondit le Loup en imitant l’accent de la fillette.
Tire la chevillette et la bobinette cherra, reprit la voix.
D’un coup de patte, le Loup tira la ficelle, le loquet tomba et la porte s’ouvrit.
Aussitôt, la méchante bête se jeta sur la pauvre vieille femme, qui était dans son lit, et la dévora en deux bouchées.”
-Excerpt from Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, adapted by Contesdefees.com from the original text by Charles Perrault
Many of these texts can be found online for free thanks to the generosity of organizations dedicated to preserving and sharing the classics. Now that you understand the passé simple, enjoy!
Master the French passé simple with Rosetta Stone
For those who love to read (and conjugate verbs), it can be difficult to decide where to start among the piles of amazing available novels and reading materials. You might rely on recommendations from a trusted friend before adding to your “to be read” pile. Let Rosetta Stone be that friend!
Rosetta Stone has carefully curated the best narratives and real-world contexts that are presented at exactly your learning level. See the passé simple and many more French verb tenses in action in a low-pressure way, which will help your brain make essential connections and keep you reading on!
Written by Jamie Edwards
Jamie is a learner and teacher of Spanish and French. When she’s not learning new words, you’ll find her on the soccer sidelines, ski slopes, and track and field bleachers enjoying the four seasons of Western New York.
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