The simple past (passé simple)

The simple past (passé simple)

The narrative tense: il parla, il finit, il fut.

⚡Key points

-er → -a / -èrent→il parla, ils parlèrent
-ir / -re → -it / -irent→il finit, il vendit, ils partirent
-us type→il fut, il eut, il put, il voulut
venir/tenir → il vint→ils vinrent
Written narrative→novel, tale, history (≈ passé composé)

What the passé simple is

The passé simple is a literary narrative tense. In speech and correspondence it is replaced by the passé composé, but in novels, tales and historical texts it is required. It appears mostly in the 3rd person. The main goal is to learn to recognise it.

Endings (3rd person)

-er (parler)
il parla / ils parlèrent
he spoke / they spoke
-ir (finir)
il finit / ils finirent
he finished / they finished
-re (vendre)
il vendit / ils vendirent
he sold / they sold
-us type (pouvoir)
il put / ils purent
he could / they could
venir
il vint / ils vinrent
he came / they came

Irregular verbs

Many frequent verbs have special forms to learn: être → il fut, avoir → il eut, faire → il fit, dire → il dit, voir → il vit, prendre → il prit, vouloir → il voulut, devoir → il dut.

In narrative

1

Completed plot events

Il ouvrit la porte, entra et s’assit. (He opened the door, came in and sat down.)

2

Contrast with imparfait (background)

Il faisait nuit quand elle arriva. (It was night when she arrived.)

3

Historical narrative

Napoléon devint empereur en 1804.

💡⚠️ passé simple vs passé composé

Both express a completed action, but the passé simple is the written register (literature, history), while the passé composé is spoken and everyday. In an essay or conversation the passé simple is not used. The imparfait (background) is the same in both registers.
Literary: Il entra et la vit.
Spoken: Il est entré et il l’a vue.

Excerpt: the start of a tale

NarrateurIl était une fois une reine qui vivait dans un grand château.
NarrateurUn jour, elle reçut une lettre étrange.
NarrateurElle l’ouvrit, la lut, et pâlit aussitôt.
NarrateurAlors elle appela ses gardes et partit sans un mot.

Narrator: Once upon a time there was a queen who lived in a great castle. | One day, she received a strange letter. | She opened it, read it, and turned pale at once. | Then she called her guards and left without a word.