Passé simple (Indicatif) – Literary Simple Past
The Passé simple is a literary tense used to describe actions completed in the past.
It is the formal written equivalent of the passé composé and is mainly found in literature, historical writing, formal reports, and some journalism.
In spoken French, it is almost never used — the passé composé replaces it.
Mood:
The Passé simple uses the indicative mood, expressing factual past actions that are completed.
- Mood: Indicative (factual, completed past action in a formal/literary style)
Usage:
- To narrate completed actions in the past:
Il entra dans la pièce et ferma la porte.
(He entered the room and closed the door.) - To sequence events in formal writing:
La guerre commença en 1914 et se termina en 1918.
(The war began in 1914 and ended in 1918.) - In historical and literary accounts to replace the passé composé.
Formation:
The Passé simple has three main conjugation patterns based on infinitive endings: -er, -ir/-re, and irregular verbs.
Regular -er verbs (parler – to speak):
Stem: parl- + endings: -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | parlai | I spoke |
| Tu | parlas | You spoke |
| Il/Elle | parla | He/She spoke |
| Nous | parlâmes | We spoke |
| Vous | parlâtes | You spoke |
| Ils/Elles | parlèrent | They spoke |
Regular -ir / -re verbs (finir – to finish):
Stem: fin- + endings: -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | finis | I finished |
| Tu | finis | You finished |
| Il/Elle | finit | He/She finished |
| Nous | finîmes | We finished |
| Vous | finîtes | You finished |
| Ils/Elles | finirent | They finished |
Irregular verbs (avoir – to have, être – to be, venir – to come, etc.):
- avoir → j’eus, tu eus, il eut, nous eûmes, vous eûtes, ils eurent
- être → je fus, tu fus, il fut, nous fûmes, vous fûtes, ils furent
- venir → je vins, tu vins, il vint, nous vînmes, vous vîntes, ils vinrent
Time Expressions Often Used in Literature:
- ce jour-là (that day)
- soudain (suddenly)
- alors (then)
- bientôt (soon)
- tout à coup (all of a sudden)
Examples:
- Il lut le livre en une nuit.
(He read the book in one night.) - Nous arrivâmes à l’hôtel avant la pluie.
(We arrived at the hotel before the rain.) - Elle écrivit plusieurs lettres ce matin-là.
(She wrote several letters that morning.)
Related Note – Passé antérieur:
The Passé antérieur is the literary equivalent of the plus-que-parfait and is often used in combination with the passé simple to indicate an action that had been completed before another past action in literary writing.
Example: Dès qu’il eut terminé son discours, la foule applaudit.
(As soon as he had finished his speech, the crowd applauded.)
