Le Passé (Leaving Cert French): Revision Notes
Le Passé Simple
The passé simple is a French past tense mainly used in writing, not speaking. You'll find it in books, stories, and history texts. It's like the past tense in English but is more formal.
At Leaving Cert level, you only need to recognise the passé simple. It might appear in Comprehension 2, within the literary text, but you won't need to form it.
When to use it:
In books and stories: Authors use it to talk about things that happened in the past.
In history: It's used to describe past events in a formal way.
The Formation of the Passé Simple
| -er Verbs | -re Verbs | -ir Verbs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | -ai | -is | -is |
| tu | -as | -is | -is |
| il/elle/on | -a | -it | -it |
| nous | -âmes | -îmes | -îmes |
| vous | -âtes | -îtes | -îtes |
| ils/elles | -èrent | -irent | -irent |
Regular -ER Verbs
Aimer (to love) j'aimai — I loved
tu aimas — you loved
il/elle/on aima — he/she/one loved
nous aimâmes — we loved
vous aimâtes — you loved
ils/elles aimèrent — they loved
Regular -IR Verbs
Choisir (to choose) je choisis — I chose
tu choisis — you chose
il/elle/on choisit — he/she/one chose
nous choisîmes — we chose
vous choisîtes — you chose
ils/elles choisirent — they chose
Regular -RE Verbs
Attendre (to wait) j'attendis — I waited
tu attendis — you waited
il/elle/on attendit — he/she/one waited
nous attendîmes — we waited
vous attendîtes — you waited
ils/elles attendirent — they waited
Note: For regular -IR verbs, the conjugations for the first four singular forms in the passé simple are identical to those in the present tense.
Irregular Verbs in the Passé Simple
These are the most commonly used irregular verbs. You should be able to recognise them, as they may appear in Comprehension 2.
Avoir (to have)
| J'eus |
|---|
| Tu eus |
| Il eut / elle eut |
| Nous eûmes |
| Vous eûtes |
| Ils eurent / elles eurent |
Être (to be)
| Je fus |
|---|
| Tu fus |
| Il fut / elle fut |
| Nous fûmes |
| Vous fûtes |
| Ils furent / elles furent |
Faire (to do/make)
| Je fis |
|---|
| Tu fis |
| Il fit / elle fit |
| Nous fîmes |
| Vous fîtes |
| Ils firent / elles firent |