Passé simple

=Overview=

The passé simple (literally the simple past or preterite, but also called the passé défini in French) is the literary equivalent of the passé composé in the French language, and used in formal writing (including history and literature) journalism and formal speech. As in other preterite tenses, it is used when the action has a definite beginning and end and has already been completed. In writing it is most often used for narration. While literary and refined language still hangs on to the passé simple, the spoken language has simply renounced passé simple for the passe composé, which means that in French, there is no longer a nuance between:

"«... quand je suis arrivé. »" ("I have arrived." I have come to town. I may have just arrived.)

"«...quand j'arrivai. »" ("I arrived." I came to town, but it is possible that I am not still here.)

The difference is subtle. The passé simple is divorced from the present and has definitely been completed, while the passé composé is still connected to the present and may even still be happening.

Constructing the Passé Simple

Many students of French are frustrated to find that even books for elementary aged children are written in the passé simple, even though it is only taught in advanced classes. Luckily it can be picked up and understood quite easily. The passé simple is formed by dropping the last two letters off the infinitive of the verb and adding the appropriate ending. Most verbs are regular in the passé simple:

aimer -- to love
j'aimai
tu aimas
il aima'
nous aimâmes
vous aimâtes
ils aimèrent

dormir -- to sleep
je dormis
tu dormis
il dormit
nous dormîmes
vous dormîtes
ils dormirent

Several common irregular verbs:

courir -- to run
je courus
tu courus
il courut
nous courûmes
vous courûtes
ils coururent

venir -- to come
je vins
tu vins
il vint
nous vînmes
vous vîntes
ils vinrent

être -- to be

je fus
tu fus
il fut
nous fûmes
vous fûtes
ils furent

avoir -- to have
j'eus
tu eus
il eut
nous eûmes
vous eûtes
ils eurent

French conjugation

Local Variations and Modern Usage

In modern spoken French, the passé simple has practically disappeared, mostly because the perceived irregularity of its conjugation makes it difficult to understand orally. Localised French has its own variations, like this sample from "Langue d'oïl" in the North of France where "mangea" is replaced by "mangit":

"« Malheureux comme le chien à Brisquet, qui n'allit qu'une fois au bois, et que le loup mangit. »"
Unfortunately like Brisquet's dog, who only went into the woods once and the wolves ate it.
From « Histoire du chien de Brisquet » by Charles Nodier

In modern, spoken French, the passé simple is occasionally slipped into conversation as a joke to make the sentence sound either snobbier or more refined.

References

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passé_simple

http://french.about.com/library/weekly/aa010501.htm

http://french.about.com/library/weekly/aa122999.htm

http://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~jbaker/passesimple.html

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